Trip to the Great Ghost Zone
by JBGilroy
Summary: The secret's out and Jazz makes a suggestion that ends up with Danny giving a tour of the Ghost Zone to a group of Amity Park civilians. Despite Danny's reluctance, the tour starts out well. At least until they lose the map. Will they get home in one piece, or is something else going on? (t rating to be safe)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! Here's another fanfic.**

 **The inspiration behind this story was because I saw a number of Ghost Zone field trip stories and read a few. So, here's my version.**

 **It's based after Phantom Planet. So everyone knows Danny's secret. Also, this is more a tour rather than a field trip. You'll see what I mean.**

 **I don't own Danny Phantom.**

 **I think that's everything… so on with the story!**

Danny Phantom huffed in annoyance once again. He shot an angry glare at his sister. It had started innocently enough with a conversation at dinner a few weeks ago.

"Mom, dad. You built the Spectre Speeder ages ago. Why haven't you ever been in the Ghost Zone?" Jazz asked. Maddie Fenton turned to her orange clad husband.

"I don't know. Jack, why _haven't_ we gone into the Ghost Zone?" Maddie inquired, equally perplexed by the revelation. Jack shrugged, busy shovelling food onto his fork and into his mouth.

"Guess we were too busy shoving ectoplasmic slime back through the portal, we never had a chance to take a good look ourselves. No offence son. That plus we didn't know what to expect. We did send a probe through as soon as we built one, but it never came back," Jack answered. Danny wrinkled his nose in annoyance. Despite his parents knowing his secret, they were still coming to terms with it. The Disasteroid had only been a few weeks ago. Two years of ingrained habits and behaviour and a lifetime of beliefs didn't just disappear.

"Well, Danny's been in the Ghost Zone a load of times. So have Sam and Tucker. Even I've been in there once. Danny could be your tour guide," Jazz suggested. Danny spluttered on his dinner. But before he could stammer out a reason not to give his parents a tour.

"That's a great idea Jazzy-pants! Son, you can show us where to find research subjects!" Jack exclaimed excitedly.

"Dad, I don't know if that's a good idea. It isn't like a shop in there. And it's really easy to get lost-" Danny began to list excuses.

"And we could use the opportunity to study ghosts in their natural habitat. We might even learn something to improve our weapons," Maddie agreed happily. Danny gaped like a fish before slumping in his seat. His parents were lost in their plans and excitement. He flicked a forkful of food at his sister.

"Hey! Danny!" she shouted angrily.

"I've told you before about helping," he hissed. Jazz shrugged.

"Personally I'd love to go back and have a good look around and talk to a few ghosts. I'm working on my thesis for parapsychology for college. I need research projects," Jazz retorted.

Two weeks later and somehow word had gotten out about the Fentons' planned trip into the Ghost Zone. A few people asked if they could accompany the family and Jack, the excitable person he was, agreed. Before he knew it, Danny had been made the tour guide for half the town to go into the Ghost Zone. Jazz then held a lucky dip as the rebuilt Spectre Speeder had limited places, even with Maddie and Jack adding seats. Jack and Maddie would protect the group. Sam and Tucker would be co-tour guides with Danny. Jazz, as it was her idea, automatically got a seat. Valerie had decided to skip the tour to protect the town while Danny was away.

The lucky winners were announced on the evening news. The tour was getting an unbelievable amount of publicity. Paulina and Dash had won seats to Danny and Sam's dismay. Dash was a creepy fanboy that desperately wanted to be Danny's friend in any possible way. While Paulina was under the impression that since Danny had two personas, and suspected to have a split personality by the press, he could have two girlfriends. Sam was Fenton's but Paulina was destined to be Phantom's. There was another student that Danny wasn't on a first name basis with but recognised. And a number of adult townspeople, including, somehow Lance Thunder who would report on the tour for the news. Danny suspected that Lance hadn't even entered his own name since he could hear the weatherman's complaints from where he was standing beside the Speeder.

Jazz stood beside the door with a clipboard holding a list of the winners ready to take role call before they set off. All they were waiting for was Sam and Tucker to arrive. Maddie and Jack were busy loading weapons, water and emergency food, Maddie wrestling the expired emergency ham away from her husband. Danny half-hoped that Sam and Tucker wouldn't turn up. He really was dreading this. Since school ended a week after the Disasteroid struck, Danny had avoided the public as much as possible. Now he was going to lead a group of people, including some of the most annoying fans he had, through the Ghost Zone because of his sister's big mouth. He groaned as Tucker's red hat appeared in the crowd, pushing his way to the front. Sam was directly behind him.

"Sorry dude, Sam's parents were being difficult," Tucker called as they emerged from the pushy crowd. Danny sighed.

"It's fine Tuck," he muttered. Sam frowned and took his hand.

"Hey, it'll be fine. You're lucky. You can phase out of the Speeder and escape for a bit. We can't. We're here for you," Sam mumbled in his ear. Jazz nodded to the trio and picked up her megaphone. She cleared her throat loudly through the device, the sound echoing over the street to quiet down the loud, excited chatter. The street fell quiet.

"Okay! I'm going to call your name and you are going to come to the front with your overnight bag and board the Speeder. We'll explain more once everyone is on board. If anyone has changed their mind or hasn't arrived, we'll come to a decision," Jazz declared through the megaphone.

"Paulina Sanchez!" Jazz called. Paulina, dressed in jeans and a pink halter neck top bounced happily up out of the crowd and shouted that she was coming. She shoved her way through the crowd to the front, pausing only to give Danny a seductive wink before sashaying to the vehicle and stepping on board. Danny huffed under his breath, appreciating Sam's comforting squeeze in his hand.

"Dash Baxter!" Jazz announced and the football player quickly made his way to the front with his bag, grinning at Danny as he passed. Everyone on the Speeder had been told to bring an overnight bag with a few essentials in case they got lost or held up in the Ghost Zone for longer than a day.

"Kyle Richardson!" Jazz called and a tall, thin boy from the year above shuffled through the crowd, shooting a shy smile at Danny.

"Lance Thunder!" Jazz read.

"I changed my mind!" Lance shouted back.

"No he hasn't! Not if he wants to keep his job!" another man retorted loudly and gave the weatherman a firm push in the direction of the Speeder. The blonde man pushed his way through the crowd, grumbling under his breath about not being suitable for this job and wanting a transfer to Chicago, carrying a small backpack and a small video camera. Danny felt bad for the man, he obviously wasn't happy to be going on this trip but had to. It was similar to Danny. Jazz blinked as the weatherman passed her before shrugging off the loud exchange.

"Okay… Ronald Davis!" Jazz resumed. A middle aged man with red hair and a large moustache pushed himself through the crowd to the Speeder.

"Rebecca Miller!" Jazz called and a woman wearing high heels and a floral dress followed a smartly dressed man through the crowd, the man being kind enough to carry her small bright pink bag for her which he handed to Jazz with an unimpressed sniff. Danny scowled at the action and Tucker rushed over to help the older Fenton child.

"Samuel White!" Jazz announced. A muscular man wearing jeans, a white shirt and camouflage jacket marched through the crowd with his bag draped over his shoulder lazily.

"And finally Andrea Brown!" Jazz concluded and an elderly woman with a cane shuffled through the street.

"That's everyone! Sorry to anyone who wasn't lucky enough to get a seat but thank you for the interest, all of you!" Jazz finished and switched off the megaphone, propping it under her arm and motioned to her brother to follow her. Danny sighed but complied. Sam and Tucker trailing along behind him. He stepped onto the vehicle for the first time since it was rebuilt and improved for group travel. It was slightly larger than the original but other than that, it was much the same. His parents had even had a copy of the software from the original containing Tucker's digital map of the Ghost Zone.

The group turned to face the halfa. Danny gulped nervously.

"Hi. You all know me. I'm Danny. Um, I think I need to make this clear before we leave, on this trip… we're all equal. No single person is more important than another. Which means if something happens, we help each other and there is no one more entitled to help or protection than another. You are accountable for your belongings, no one else," Danny decided, recalling Rebecca Miller's entrance.

"Wait, how possible is it that something bad will happen?" Lance interjected worriedly. Danny sighed.

"Nothing is for certain. I don't know what is going to happen. We might just have a peaceful drive through the Ghost Zone or we might need up fighting a bunch of angry ghosts. We have plenty of weapons with us and we are trained and capable to use them. If you need to be able to defend yourselves, we can provide you all with easy to use weapons and a quick training session in its use," Danny replied calmly. The group of civilians glanced nervously at each other. A sudden thought struck Danny.

"If that means any of you wish to back out of this, you can. But you have to do it before we enter the Ghost Zone," Danny offered. Secretly hoping that most of them would. Lance wouldn't because of his boss's threat. But Dash and Paulina might and that would make this trip a lot more bearable.

The vehicle was silent for a few moments while they all waited for anyone to say they changed their mind. Lance looked to be having an internal argument where being employed won out. Danny supressed a disappointed sigh. The group obviously thought that Danny was capable enough to protect them all if anything happened.

"Any questions?" Danny asked.

"Are we just going to play it by ear or do you have specific places you want to show us?" Ronald inquired. Danny repressed the annoyed eye roll. He didn't want to show anyone the Ghost Zone. This was all Jazz's idea, and fault.

"I think it would be best to play it by ear. The Ghost Zone isn't like a park or a zoo. It's more like a safari with dangerous creatures and beings that move. I don't know until I'm there if it's safe to go somewhere or not," Danny answered, it also meant if he got lost, he wouldn't have to own up to everyone straight away. He waited a few moments but no one else seemed to have any questions.

"Alright, mom," Danny called. His mother won the coin toss to be the driver, to everyone's relief. No one wanted Jack Fenton to drive but Jack, who was pouting slightly in shotgun position. Jazz decided that their parents should drive the Speeder initially, and Sam, Danny or Tucker take over if need be, as Maddie and Jack were legally allowed to drive. Jazz was too but she didn't feel comfortable driving the Speeder in the Ghost Zone. Maddie nodded and fired up the Speeder engines. The Speeder lifted smoothly into the air a few feet and hovered in position. Everyone put on their seatbelts as the blue jumpsuit clad woman sped forwards around the house to the access tunnel in the backyard. Through that, the Speeder entered the lab and zoomed through the open portal, closed by a wireless button on the Speeder console.

 **And into the great beyond! Couldn't help myself there.**

 **So, any thoughts on the people on the tour? Or any thoughts on the tour itself?**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

Almost everyone in the Speeder took a collective gasp of awe as they entered the Ghost Zone. The heavy, cold green gases swirled lazily around the vehicle, illuminating the other world with a soft luminous glow common to ectoplasm. Purple, seemingly weightless doors drifted through the air and somehow stationary rocky islands large enough for buildings and entire forests loomed through the ectoplasmic clouds. Danny had to admit, the first time you saw the Ghost Zone, it was life changing. It was a glimpse into such a different and strange world, you instantly saw proof that humans didn't know everything. There was plenty out there to discover. After that first glance though, the feeling of foreboding could creep in. This place followed a different set of rules. Rules that no human could hope to fully understand.

As half-ghost, Danny had a unique perspective of this world. The clouds and gases attracted him and he felt oddly at home in this world, while in ghost form. It was what had unnerved him so greatly during his first ventures through the portal. The doors felt like houses. Places you weren't meant to go inside without permission. A bedroom of a friend's sibling or parent. It was somewhere so forbidden you daren't even take a peek. And the islands felt like entering empty forests. So large and foreboding but oddly calming and comforting. The Ghost Zone was so impressive, you could feel lost by going nowhere. Every time Danny visited this world, he felt a surge of homesickness, like he'd been a long way from home and finally got back. It was an odd feeling that he couldn't describe. When in human form those feelings dimmed and he felt oddly rejected and hurt to not feel those sensations. It made him feel unbelievably uncomfortable with changing while in the Ghost Zone.

Danny got out of his seat and leant on the back of his mother's chair. He scanned the world outside while everyone else, bar Sam and Tucker, drank in the amazing sight. Islands rarely moved in the Ghost Zone, but Danny had learnt a lot about the doors to ghost lairs during his visits. Certain doors were more dangerous than others. But the doors tended to reflect the occupant's demeanour and personality. Ember's had a massive star on the front and a darker shade of purple than most doors. Amorpho's door was a pale purple with the drama faces carved into the wood. The darker the purple, generally the more powerful and malevolent the ghost that resided on the other side. Sometimes Danny could even tell if the ghost was present or away by the keyhole in the door. Danny frowned at the doors nearby and surveyed them, with a slight nod, he concluded there were only a couple of doors that the Speeder had to be careful of.

"Mom, veer left. Keep your distance from that door and those two over there," Danny instructed. Maddie followed where her son was pointing and nodded, obeying without question.

Once Danny's voice broke the silence, the group began to mutter amongst each other, pointing out things they saw in the distance. Lance scrambled to get his video recorder on and began to film, introducing himself and doing a quick sweeping scan of the vehicle.

"Danny? What is that over there?" Paulina cooed, batting her eyelashes. Danny quickly hid a grimace as he went over to the three Casper High students and peered through the window.

"Far Frozen. We could go there actually. But fair warning, unless you have winter clothes, and I mean heavy winter clothes, you won't be able to get out," Danny answered, glancing around. No one objected so Danny returned to the front of the Speeder to direct his mother to the realm.

"Er Danny? Could you explain what these doors and islands are?" Lance called uncertainly, training his camera on the halfa. Danny glanced back at the weatherman before shrugging.

"Sure. Every door is called a lair. And is a home for a ghost. The islands are realms and can be home to one or more ghosts. Like the Far Frozen is home to a group of ghosts that have mastery of ice and snow. It was where I learnt to control my own powers. Skulker has his own island which he uses as a hunting ground. Er, Pandora is a ghost that lives in a realm that takes after Ancient Greek mythology. I don't know how a ghost claims a realm or lair but in my experience the stronger the ghost the bigger their home," Danny informed them all.

"Do you have a lair?" Andrea asked. Danny frowned.

"I don't think so. If I do, I've never seen it. For all I know it appears when a ghost is formed, or it might be something a ghost makes for themselves. But as far as I know, no," Danny answered thoughtfully.

"How can you not know?" Samuel retorted. Danny folded his arms.

"I don't know everything there is. I'm still learning. Until my first Christmas as a halfa, ghost term for half-ghost, I didn't even know about the Christmas Truce. It's a law that no ghost may fight another on Christmas," Danny replied.

Danny turned to the front as the Speeder approached the ice cave entrance to the Far Frozen.

"Careful mom, those icicles are dangerous. Be careful," Danny warned and stood behind her at the ready to jump out and catch the vehicle if they crashed. After fifteen nail biting minutes of flying, they emerged out of the cave into the snowy tundra with a grey icy ceiling above, green peeking through if you concentrated on it. The group of civilians gasped in awe again at the sight. Jack casually switched on the heater as the cold slowly seeped into the vehicle. Danny scanned the horizon and smiled as the village came into view.

"You can set it down anywhere you like here mom," Danny decided. Maddie glanced at the halfa before uncertainly stopping the vehicle on the edge of the ice hut village.

Danny turned to the group of people as they all started to unbuckle their seatbelts.

"Sam, do we have any coats?" Danny asked. His girlfriend frowned and made her way to the back of the Speeder to check in the storage cupboards. She shuffled to the back of the cupboard before crying out with success.

"Yep, whole box of 'em!" she called over her shoulder. Danny smirked.

"Great. Is there anyone here who doesn't want to leave the Speeder?" Danny inquired. He waited a few moments but no one was forth coming. Danny nodded.

"Alright then. Sam will help you all to get a coat. We mightn't have your size but trust me, you'll be glad to have one," Danny resumed. Tucker nodded.

"Danny mightn't feel the cold, but me and Sam do and we've been here before. Without a coat, you quickly get freezing cold. It's like being at the arctic here," Tucker added.

Ten minutes later and everyone had been given a coat and put them on, as well as a couple of changes in footwear. There were a few arguments and distasteful scowls at the clothing from Rebecca and Paulina. But no one refused the jackets. Danny opened the door and led the way out to the icy world outside. Nervously the rest followed Danny, Sam and Tucker as they headed into the village. Danny walked calmly as Sam caught up with her boyfriend and grabbed his hand. He smirked at her and nudged her playfully making her trip over a snow drift. Danny paused in the village square and frowned.

"Where is everyone?" he muttered. Sam glanced around and shrugged.

"Maybe they're put off by the others," she suggested. Danny shook his head slowly.

"You know what Frostbite's like," he retorted.

Danny gently broke away from Sam. He floated a few inches into the air.

"Wait here. I just want to make sure everything is alright around here. Sam and Tucker can take over for the time being. Back in a few minutes," Danny called over his shoulder before speeding off through the air to look for the Far Frozen people. Within a minute he spotted movement in a sheltered hut. He stopped outside it and tentatively knocked on the hard, compact ice. A ghostly, snowy white head with ice horns poked cautiously out through a fabric curtain.

"Great one, greetings and apologises. We are currently in hiding as there are ghost hunters here," the ghost whispered fearfully. Danny blinked before smiling reassuringly.

"It's alright. They're with me. They're my parents and a few people from Amity Park. Nothing to fear," Danny assured the ghost. The Far Frozen inhabitant stared at Danny before breathing an unnecessary sigh of relief.

"Very well great one, we shall spread the word among our people. However it would have been appreciated to have had some notice," the ghost replied. Danny blushed, green tinging his cheeks due to his ectoplasm instead of blood.

Danny returned to the square, landing smoothly beside his girlfriend and best friend as they told the story of how they first found this realm.

"Well?" Sam asked softly, allowing Tucker to take over the storytelling.

"They got spooked by mom and dad. That's all. They know now they don't need to hide," Danny informed her quietly. Sam smirked.

"Maybe we should have sat down and planned this tour better," she muttered. Danny nodded, blushing again slightly.

Tucker was just finishing his story when Danny spotted a ghost walking into the village square. The halfa grinned and waved to the ghost in greeting. The group of people turned to the ghost, watching him nervously. Danny walked happily over to the ghost and gave the large white furred creature with ice horns and ice and bone for an arm a hearty handshake.

"Frostbite. Sorry for not giving you a heads up. Honestly it didn't occur to me that you guys might be scared of my parents. Don't worry I'll be here to make sure nothing happens to any of your people," Danny apologised genuinely. Frostbite gave a warm laugh.

"Not to worry great one. The initial scare has been subdued and I understand it was a simple misunderstanding and oversight. But what, pray tell, are all these humans doing with you. I recognise your friends. Your parents are established ghost hunters throughout the Ghost Zone, but the others…" Frostbite inquired curiously.

"Oh, they're just a few people from Amity Park. I kind of got roped into giving them a tour of the Ghost Zone. Didn't really plan out a route but yours was the first stop. Any suggestions?" Danny admitted. Frostbite nodded.

"There are some beautiful sights west of our realm. I can offer one of my ghosts as an additional guide or navigator to your group. Or I could draw you a map. I fear I dislike the idea of lending you the Infi-map when you have to worry about a group of civilians to protect and your parents," Frostbite offered. Danny hummed and nodded in understanding.

"A map would be great. Just make sure Sam or Tucker can read it. I'm really bad at map reading," Danny decided, deciding against adding to the group. It was large enough as it was.

Danny then introduced Frostbite to the tour group, Sam and Tucker giving their own greetings to the large ghost. Frostbite, as leader of the Far Frozen, then offered to give the group a guided tour of the village. Danny noticed, with a pang of guilt, that the other ice ghosts kept their distance from the group and watched warily. It had never occurred to him that ghosts would fear humans. He'd expected angry territorial ghosts attacking the group. He'd expected having to talk down his parents from attacking ghosts with alarming appearances. He'd expected having the group frightened of the ghosts they saw. But never thought that the ghosts would run and hide due to his parents being present. Once their tour with Frostbite was finished, Tucker left with Frostbite to get a map and quickly ensure it was readable. His parents had had a moment of concern which they expressed to their son about Tucker leaving the group but Danny easily and calmly assured them there was nothing to worry about. While Tucker got a map, Danny decided that everyone could explore the village by themselves. Most didn't venture far from Danny. And before long they had all begun to make their way back to the Speeder.

Danny said his farewell to Frostbite, once again apologising for the scare and not warning the ghosts. Then everyone boarded the Speeder and shed their coats. Rebecca had been forced to wear a pair of Sam's spare boots as she had only brought her high heels, which she returned as quickly as possible. They buckled up and Tucker began to navigate using the map from the Far Frozen.

 **First stop on the tour.**

 **Not the smoothest but it seemed to be alright in the end.**

 **I think there's some confusion on the timeline. The tour wasn't even suggested until a few weeks after the disasteroid and then Jack and Maddie had to rebuild the portal and Speeder (plus modifications). So it's the middle of the summer holidays now for Danny and co. Just wanted to clarify that this isn't a week or so after the end of Phantom Planet.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

It took about an hour before they saw anything of interest after leaving the Far Frozen. But what they saw was breath-taking. The green clouds were tinged with other common ecto-ray colours, red, purple and blue. It was a starburst stain in the atmosphere. It was like they were in space. It was like nothing Danny had ever seen before and he had seen a lot of things since becoming a halfa. This was much nicer than the river of revulsion. It was pretty romantic in Danny's mind too, he might try and bring Sam back sometime when they were alone. Maddie had decided to stop and allow everyone the time to take in the sight.

They then moved on and the next destination was a large island covered in flowers and trees. The flowers were all kinds of colours and most glowed. It was a large meadow and the group stopped for a time to explore the meadow, Danny doing a quick scout by flight of the island for any danger. After a few people complained of getting hungry, Jazz and Maddie distributed a few sandwiches they had packed. Paulina used the break to comment loudly that her boyfriend was spoiling her with all these romantic sights and a picnic. Sam openly glared at the cheerleader.

They moved on soon after and Tucker guided them to another island covered in amazing rock formations. Lance was loving the photogenic scenes they kept finding, making sure the video camera was on and reported happily on the trip for his boss. Andrea, due to her need for a cane, found the rocky terrain a little difficult to traverse but she had no complaints. The same couldn't be said for Rebecca who openly complained that this island wasn't suitable for her high heels. Sam offered her spare boots but Rebecca had instantly refused deciding that the boots were a fashion don't that would never work with her floral dress. She only wore them in the Far Frozen because they would be covered in snow. Samuel and Ronald were happy to hike the taller rock formations with Jack. Jazz and Maddie became the group's chaperones, making sure everyone was alright and happy. Paulina began to follow Danny around, even if he was trying to take a quiet moment alone with Sam. Tucker opted to entertain Dash and Kyle.

But overall everyone was enjoying the trip so far and they were soon moving on to the next stop on the map. There were so many sights that they saw. More islands, more beautiful than the next with rocky terrain or water, one even covered by fire that twisted into different colours and shapes as though it were alive. There were sights floating freely in the Ghost Zone like stains that illuminated the green world in a kaleidoscope of bright colours, contrasting wonderfully with the dark green it was painted on.

Unfortunately disaster struck. While they were on an island that had a large sea-like lake complete with white sand beaches all the way around, Tucker lost the map. He swore that it was left on his seat directly behind the driver when he left the Speeder and no one had seen it since. But it was gone. Danny was saddened by the news as he would have liked to return later without the tour group but knew he could always ask Frostbite for another map. But there was also a worry. Without the map, they didn't know where they were. They were hopelessly lost in part of the Ghost Zone that Danny had never explored. In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to have relied so heavily on the hand drawn map. They should have made a copy. They should have taken a picture. They should have gotten Lance to take a good long look on his camera of the map. But Danny had been concerned about letting that kind of information out to the public so they hadn't let the weatherman see the map up close.

Thankfully, due to the software in the Speeder, they had the co-ordinates for the Fenton portal. They could find their way home. To everyone's disappointment, they left the beach island and headed in the direction of the Fenton portal. Depending on how long it took, Danny would either call it the end of the tour or take them to places he knew like Pandora's realm or Dora's kingdom. Danny frowned as Maddie guided the Speeder through the Ghost Zone following the inbuilt guidance system. The air around them was littered with large chunks of rock. Like an asteroid belt in space. They hadn't seen that going the other way.

"Must be going a different way dude. More direct," Tucker muttered when Danny whispered his concerns.

They started to see ghosts floating outside, most going about their business, not paying the Speeder any mind. A few openly stared but to Danny's relief, none attacked. The group looked out their windows uneasily, seeing the ghosts around them.

"Why aren't you protecting us?!" Rebecca demanded of Danny. Danny turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Because these ghosts aren't attacking us. Not all ghosts are evil or dangerous Rebecca. Besides, this is their home. You are a visitor here. They have more right than you do to attack," Danny retorted sternly. Rebecca blinked in surprise before sinking in to her seat, embarrassment burning on her face. Everyone's worry eased slightly on hearing that.

After two hours of flying they spotted an island with a ghost restaurant. Andrea called up that she needed the bathroom so they landed. There weren't any bathroom facilities on the Speeder. Danny told the group of humans to wait while he checked out the building. He floated in as casually as possible and found the counter.

"Hey, sorry. What's your policy on humans? And er bathroom use?" Danny called awkwardly. A green beefy man wearing a stained apron turned to Danny and frowned.

"Have to admit, never heard that question before. As long as you buy something, you can use the bathroom. As for humans… as long as they don't cause trouble, I have no problem with them. But no ghost hunters or ghost hunting weapons. Right?" the barman answered. Danny bit his lip.

"Um, I only have human American dollars on me. Is that okay?" Danny asked. The ghost nodded.

"That's fine. We take any legal tender in this place. Where's the human though?" the ghost replied, glancing around Danny. Danny nodded to the door.

"Didn't know if they could come in. I asked them to wait outside," Danny explained. The ghost nodded in understanding.

"Why do you even have a human this deep in the Ghost Zone anyway?" the ghost inquired.

"I got roped into giving my family a tour of the Ghost Zone by my sister. We had a map but it got lost. I'm well I'm a halfa. Danny Phantom," Danny informed the ghost, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

The barman paused in his sorting of glasses and turned to the teen. He gave a toothy grin.

"No way. The Phantom in my restaurant. Ha! You're a legend! Tell you what, half price on anything you or your friends want and… your parents are those ghost hunting Fentons right? As long as they leave their weapons out of this place, they're welcome too. Just don't cause any trouble. I'd give you everything on the house but I gotta source everything myself and it costs to get it all you know," the barman decided. Danny smiled.

"Oh, wow. Er thanks, that's really generous of you. I'll just go tell them," Danny muttered embarrassed, he still found being a celebrity weird and the extra attention tended to make Danny uncomfortable.

Danny left the building, glancing quickly around at the other customers but saw none watching him closely or any he recognised so he deemed it safe enough. He phased into the Speeder.

"Good news, we can go in. They take dollars here too so you can buy stuff but er I don't really know what you guys can eat or not. And mom, dad. No weapons allowed," Danny announced. Jack and Maddie reluctantly removed all their weapons and left them in the Speeder, Jazz stopping them from leaving until they removed all their weapons.

Danny led the way back into the restaurant and took them to the counter.

"Sorry again, um, where are the bathrooms?" Danny asked the barman.

"Ladies that way and men's around that corner," the ghost answered, pointing in the direction they could find both rooms, and Sam and Tucker took point to lead the bathroom runs. Danny scanned the restaurant.

"Don't worry Phantom. No fighting's allow here. Got Walker on speed dial if there is any," the barman called to the teen. Danny gave the ghost a quick smile.

"Would you mind giving me a heads up if you have to call Walker?" Danny requested. The ghost gave a bark of laughter.

"No problem Phantom. Jeez, never told you my name did I? Gavin's the name," the barman retorted with a smirk, giving Danny a quick handshake.

"By the way, do you sell anything suitable for humans? Or er half-ghosts?" Danny inquired with a slight blush.

"Never eaten in the Ghost Zone right?" Gavin replied with a knowing smirk.

"I've eaten at the Far Frozen. And um Dora's kingdom, or er Aragon's kingdom. But they would know what I can or can't eat, or what's suitable for humans," Danny retorted. Gavin nodded in understanding.

"Let me take a look," Gavin offered and disappeared behind the counter to search the shelves.

Danny smiled at Sam as she returned with Rebecca, Jazz, Maddie, Paulina and Andrea. Jazz was looking around with great interest at the other ghosts in the restaurant.

"Jazz, don't," Danny warned. Jazz put her hands on her hips and scowled at Danny.

"You don't know what I was going to do," she pouted grumpily.

"Yes I do. You were going to go and start psycho-analysing everyone here. Don't. You'll get us chucked out," Danny retorted knowingly. Jazz rolled her eyes but didn't argue.

"Sweetie, don't you need to go as well?" Maddie inquired cautiously. Danny blinked.

"No. In ghost form, everything kind of slows down. I breathe less, heart's slower and I get hungry and tired slower, as long as I don't have a big fight and use up a lot of energy," Danny answered with a shrug. Maddie nodded before biting her tongue to stop herself asking more questions. It was kind of an unspoken rule at the moment that his parents not ask about how Danny's body was affected by being half-ghost. They all kind of realised that once the go ahead was given to ask those questions, it would be a trip into the lab to understand Danny better, something Danny wanted to avoid for as long as possible.

"Hey, found some stuff you lot will be okay with. I think. Dunno how it'll taste for you though. But you're welcome to try it," Gavin reported. Danny smiled gratefully as Tucker returned with the rest.

"How much?" Danny asked. Gavin cupped his chin thoughtfully.

"Tell you what, I hardly ever sell stuff like this. 30 for the lot and you guys can pick and choose," Gavin decided with a smile. Danny grinned and the group split the bill among themselves and began to look through the packets of food and bottles of liquid. Rebecca found a bottle of wine which she split with Andrea. Sam and Tucker found a couple of root beers and Dash got himself a ginger beer. Kyle and Paulina found a couple of juices and Ronald and Samuel found a couple of beers. Maddie, Jack and Jazz found a bottle of soda which they split between themselves.

They spread out through the restaurant with packs of crisps Gavin sourced for them. Danny stayed by the counter, keeping an eye on the group and for any trouble.

"Not gonna have anything yourself?" Gavin commented. Danny shrugged.

"I don't need it. They do. We have some stuff if I really need something. I'll be fine," Danny replied. Gavin hummed before ducking out of sight. He returned a few minutes later with a tall, narrow glass and a bottle. He put the glass in front of Danny.

"I won't have you here and not at least trying something. This is the house special. That Plasmius bloke came here years ago and liked it," Gavin informed the teen and poured the glowing green liquid with pulsing purple specks into the glass. Danny frowned at the liquid and examined it.

"Er, I'm not of age. It's not alcoholic right?" Danny inquired. Gavin laughed.

"Ghosts can't get drunk. So alcohol is kinda redundant. But no, it's not alcoholic," Gavin answered.

Danny picked up the glass and considered the drink warily.

"You're sure it's not gonna hurt me, or rather my human half. Right?" Danny asked nervously. Gavin nodded.

"Plasmius was here a few times. Always had that. I doubt he'd drink it again if it caused problems," Gavin reasoned. Danny glanced at the ghost before nodding in understanding. The barman did make a point. It was weird to hear of Plasmius without someone cursing his name. No one knew that it was actually Danny and Vlad's fault that the asteroid was blown from Saturn's orbit into a collision course with the Earth. And Danny had no intention of telling anyone. But everyone knew of how Vlad held the planet at ransom in order to be declared ruler of Earth.

Danny took a tentative sip and Gavin grinned expectantly. Danny blinked as a feeling of calm overcame him and refreshing cool trickled down his throat. The drink settled in his stomach and he sighed softly in content.

"Good right?" Gavin prompted. Danny nodded, staring at the drink.

"Yeah. What is that?" Danny inquired, feeling very mellow and Zen. Gavin laughed.

"Can't give you the recipe. Then it wouldn't be the house special. But it's a mix of water found in the Ghost Zone, a few crushed flowers and some ectoplasmic clouds. A lot of ghosts come here just for that drink you know. Famous in the Ghost Zone," Gavin replied, puffing his chest proudly as he bragged the success of the drink. Danny smirked and took a bigger sip.

"I can see why. This is the best thing I've ever had," Danny complimented and Gavin smiled broadly before shuffling off to tend to a customer down the counter.

 **So, they've lost the map but not all's lost.**

 **Besides, they did find the restaurant.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

Sam glanced around the restaurant. They'd been here for a while now. They should probably get going soon. She spotted her boyfriend still sitting at the counter/bar chatting casually with the barman. She smirked. He was obviously becoming good friends with the ghost. She branched away from Tucker, Dash, Kyle and Paulina. They had taken it upon themselves to entertain the students of the group while Maddie and Jack occupied the adults. She sat beside her boyfriend before frowning at the glowing drink in front of him, glass half empty by this point.

"Hey, what is that?" she inquired. Danny and Gavin turned to her, noticing her for the first time.

"Oh, it's the house special. It's really good," Danny answered with a dreamy look in his eyes. Sam frowned in concern.

"Are you drunk?" she asked softly. Lance was a reporter after all and if Danny Phantom was caught drinking under age, it would be over all the papers as a scandal. Gavin shook his head.

"Nah, there's no alcohol in that drink. It just makes you relax," Gavin informed her.

Sam took the glass and sniffed it.

"I wouldn't drink it if I were you. There is raw ectoplasm in it. Dunno how that'll affect you," Gavin warned. Sam frowned and put it down again.

"Are you sure it's safe for Danny to drink then?" Sam asked. Gavin nodded.

"Vlad's tried it before and had it a few times," Danny interjected with a slight shrug. Sam blinked before nodding in understanding.

"Don't tell your dad that," she muttered. Jack had grown very resentful of Vlad Masters also known as Vlad Plasmius. Every time the halfa was brought up in conversation, Jack would get angry and tended to be in a foul mood for at least an hour but sometimes even for the rest of the day. Danny nodded.

"It's too bad you know that humans can't drink this stuff. It really is calming. I can't remember the last time I felt this relaxed," Danny admitted. Sam blinked in surprise before smiling. It was really nice to hear that Danny was enjoying himself. He had been dreading this trip into the Ghost Zone. While it hadn't been as horrible as any of the original trio had expected, it was far from ideal. Rebecca was demanding and pretty snobby too. Paulina was annoying Sam and Danny by constantly following him and trying to get close to him. Lance and his camera had them on edge and concerned. They had to make sure that Lance's camera never saw anything they weren't comfortable with everyone else seeing, including the Guys in White. So they were on their guard a lot of the time.

"Everything alright though Sam?" Danny inquired, concerned spilling into his relaxed face. Sam nodded.

"Yeah, was just thinking we've been here for a while now. I was wondering when we were going to leave. No rush though," Sam replied. Danny nodded and took a sip of his drink.

"We'll get going when I finish this. I didn't really notice that we've been here so long. I've been talking with Gavin. Apparently a lot of ghosts talk about me here," Danny decided. Sam frowned.

"Is that a good or bad thing?" she asked nervously.

"Nothing to worry about. I just hear stories about what Phantom's been doing. I saw him for the first time during that whole asteroid crisis few weeks back. Didn't get talking though. Just got scooped up in a net," Gavin remarked. Danny blushed.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was under time pressure and I didn't think you guys would want to help me if I just asked," Danny apologised. Gavin shook his head.

"Nah, I get it. Was a bit alarming at the time but I'm over it," Gavin assured the teen. Danny smiled and took a big sip of his drink.

"Phantom's been telling me the actual stories. I usually hear rumours or exaggerated versions. Hearing the stories from the man himself is a whole lot different from listening to gossiping ghosts or ghosts here to rant about losing to him," Gavin informed Sam. She smirked.

"What ones has he been telling you?" she inquired curiously.

"Gavin asked about the whole Undergrowth thing. And Fright Knight that Hallowe'en I borrowed the Soul Shredder. Apparently Amorpho frequents here and has taken to doing impersonations of me," Danny told her with another sip of his drink. It was nearly finished by now.

"Huh," she hummed in surprise. Danny nodded.

"He's used my face to try and get special treatment since the disasteroid thing. No one believes him though," Danny added.

"Another reason I couldn't just give you everything on the house. It'll just encourage Amorpho to try harder in future," Gavin confessed. Danny shook his head.

"It doesn't bother me that you charged. Personally I hate being treated specially, just because of who I am or even what I am," Danny admitted.

Sam smiled in agreement. They all disliked the new found popularity they been given. Tucker was famous as the youngest mayor in Amity Park, possibly the world, as well as being Danny Phantom's best friend. Sam was famous for being Danny's girlfriend. Magazines had taken to reporting on her fashion sense and eating habits. They had even spotted a few photographers trying to take pictures of them. Luckily dating a halfa had its advantages. Photographers couldn't take pictures of invisible things. Jazz was getting college offers and even scholarships from hundreds of colleges around the world for her relation to Danny. Fenton Works was officially open for business and people made house calls looking to buy anti-ghost weapons. However, after learning Danny's secret, his parents restricted what they sold to the general public now. Often building in a safety feature that detected Danny's unique ecto-signature and refused to fire at him. Even Danny's aunt Alecia in Spittoon had gotten some special treatment due to being related to Danny.

"Danny? What is that?" Paulina asked as she joined them. None of them had noticed her approach. Danny sighed and drained the rest of the glass.

"Thanks Gavin," Danny muttered and handed him the glass. Gavin grinned.

"Just glad you enjoyed it Phantom. Feel free to come back. You're always welcome in these parts," Gavin replied, taking the glass. The barman's hand glowed light blue and the glass cleaned itself. Danny swivelled in his seat.

"It's a ghost drink," Danny finally answered Paulina and stood up.

"Oh, can I try it?" Paulina inquired hopefully.

"No. It's not safe for human consumption," Sam snarled, getting annoyed at the cheerleader. Paulina had the uncanny ability to always interrupt Danny and Sam's alone time, on this tour more so than ever.

"Oh, that's a shame. It looked really cool and pretty," Paulina mumbled disappointedly. Sam rolled her eyes as they followed Danny to their group.

"We'll get going again in a few minutes. Anyone need to use the restroom before we leave, best go now. That alright with everyone?" Danny announced.

Ten minutes later, they were back in the Speeder as it took off and returned to their uncertain flight through the Ghost Zone towards the Fenton portal. Danny, still feeling exceptionally relaxed, sat near the back of the Speeder with Sam, Paulina snagging the closest possible seat. Sam giggled at her boyfriend as he leant back and closed his eyes with a small smirk.

"We're definitely going back there," she mumbled as she took his gloved hand and leant against him.

"No complaints here," Danny breathed. Sam snorted.

"Are you alright Danny?" Paulina asked softly. Danny cracked open an eye before giving a quick nod.

"Yeah, just… just feel relaxed. That's all," Danny muttered, closing his eye again.

Twenty minutes of flying and there was a sudden jerk in the Speeder's flight path. Danny frowned and opened his eyes. He glanced out of the window beside him. They were travelling high above a forested island.

"Did we hit something?" he called up to his parents, getting to his feet and phasing through the seat to get to the front. Maddie and Jack were frowning at a number of gauges and blinking lights on the console.

"Not sure. The fuel tank has disconnected somehow. We're gonna have to make an emergency landing," Maddie reported.

"Do you want me to hop out and check it?" Danny offered. Jack shook his head.

"No need son. We have enough to get us to the island below us. It'll be fine. We've got tools in storage for this," Jack replied. Danny nodded. He walked back to the storage cupboards and began to root around for the toolbox.

Suddenly there was the sound of an explosion and the entire vehicle tilted to one side, throwing Danny out of the cupboard and onto Samuel in his seat.

"Sorry," Danny gasped and struggled to his feet off the man's lap, feeling a sharp nick in the back of his thigh as he hit against something sharp and pointed.

"What's going on?!" Danny shouted to his parents with concern.

"No idea!" Maddie yelled back, obviously panicking as gauges spun, lights flashed and soft alarming beeps came from the console. Danny had hardly taken another step before a second explosion rocked the vehicle and the exit hatch swung open. Danny rushed to the door and attempted to yank it shut again but it was stuck. Another explosion happened and the vehicle tilted dangerously again causing anything not tied down to shift, including Paulina who hadn't been wearing a seatbelt in order to swivel around to attempt to talk to Danny.

Danny watched in horror as Paulina, screaming, fell through the open hatch unable to scramble to his feet after falling again and save her. He turned to Sam.

"I'm going after her. Don't try to shut this. It's jammed," Danny informed her before jumping out of the vehicle and zooming after the falling cheerleader. Paulina was crying with fear, screaming hoarsely and flailing wildly. Danny quickly caught up to her and caught her, grunting in pain as she accidently punched him in the jaw and kicked him in the ribs.

"I got you!" he shouted over the roaring wind around them. She stopped fighting him and clung to his neck in terror, burying her face in his shoulder. Danny made sure he had a good grip of the girl and slowed their descent as they approached the island below.

There was another explosion above them and the Speeder began to spin uncontrollably as it crash landed. Danny gasped as a metal red box hurdled through the air and hit him on the head before he could dodge it. The world tilted and stars passed in front of his eyes. For a split second, he lost his hold on his flight and both teens began to plummet. Paulina squealed in alarm and tightened her grip on his neck. Danny swallowed down a wave of nausea and took control of their fall and guided them to the ground where they crumbled to the ground. A flash of light passed over his eyes as they rolled back into his head.

 **Oh no! After such a nice experience in the restaurant, now the Speeder has to go and crash.**

 **Any guesses what fell out of the Speeder and hit Danny on the head?**

 **Will everyone be okay?**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

Paulina trembled in fear as she lay underneath Danny. She was blinded by the white light that enveloped them, shivering at the blast of cold that swept over them like a winter breeze. She kept her eyes shut and she waited for Danny to tell her everything was alright. But he didn't. His measured breaths was all she heard. His warm body and thumping heart and the hard, slightly damp soil below her was all she felt. After five minutes, she realised that Danny wasn't waiting for something but rather unconscious. She opened her eyes and saw black hair and the green Ghost Zone sky, they were surrounded by dark, gnarled trees. She tried to roll out from under the halfa or push him off her. But he was too heavy for her, mostly due to his hidden muscles from almost two years of ghost fighting. Paulina was not a strong girl. She was fit from cheerleading but not physically strong. She was used to carrying around pom-poms not unconscious teenagers. But there was also a problem that she was pinned under him, her hands caught behind his neck but unable to get enough purchase to roll him off her.

After another five minutes of trying to escape from under Danny, Paulina attempted to rouse him by calling his name and tapping him as hard as she could from her position. But without success, Paulina sighed and listened for any sounds of movement. It took her another minute to realise where she was. She was underneath Danny! She'd never been this close to him for so long before. Carefully, she moved her head and hands to feel more like she was embracing him. She closed her eyes again and smiled. She shuffled her back slightly, ignoring how dirty she was making herself and Danny's head lolled from her shoulder into her cleavage. She sighed happily. This was what she had always wanted. Danny Phantom. Paulina Sanchez. Together. Not as friends, but as boyfriend and girlfriend. This felt right to her. Danny may be in his human form, but as far as Paulina was concerned, this counted.

Danny shifted slightly and Paulina reluctantly let him go knowing that he was waking up.

"Danny?" she called worriedly.

"Ugh. What hit me?" he slurred, lifting a hand to rubbed the crown of his head, his blue eyes fluttering open to see Paulina's pink halter neck top. With a jolt he realised exactly what his head was on and why it felt so soft. He rolled off her and stammered a number of apologises, his face burning bright red. Paulina sat up and watched Danny stumble away with a small amused smirk.

"You don't have to apologise Danny. You just saved my life," Paulina retorted eventually. Danny opened his mouth to reply before pausing and seeing where they were.

"How long was I unconscious?" Danny asked instead. Paulina shrugged.

"Less than fifteen minutes I think," she answered.

Danny scanned the forest around them before spotting something red caught in a tree a few feet away. He frowned and walked over to it.

"Where are you going?" Paulina called, getting to her feet and rushing after him.

"That red thing in that tree, it's whatever hit my head. It came from the Speeder," Danny explained, pointing to the item in question. Paulina nodded in understanding.

"How's your head?" she asked with concern as he clambered up the tree to the red object.

"Sore. I'll be fine. Over the last couple of years, I've hit it a lot. Thanks for asking though," Danny answered. Paulina smiled. Danny reached the object and grabbed it before examining it. He scoffed.

"Unbelievable. It's the toolbox," Danny grumbled. He opened it and checked it was intact and nothing was lost before snapping it shut and dropping it to the ground, shouting a warning to Paulina. He then carefully made his way back down.

He dropped to the ground with a loud thud and picked up the toolbox. He then changed into his ghost form and allowed himself a slight smile as the feeling of acceptance and belonging filled him. Danny turned to Paulina.

"Wouldn't happen to remember which way the Speeder was when it crashed?" he inquired hopefully. Paulina shrugged helplessly.

"Sorry Danny. I didn't see anything," she admitted. Danny nodded. He handed her the toolbox and told her to wait for a moment while he floated above the tree canopy and looked for any sign. In the distance, smoke billowed above the trees. He sighed in relief. While the smoke was a bad sign for getting home, it was a good sign for finding the others. He made a note of the smoke's location, making sure to mentally mark out any possible landmarks nearby it before returning to Paulina.

"I think the Speeder crashed in that direction. Come on, I'll fly us," Danny reported and took Paulina by the waist and swept her off her feet. He pushed the memory of laying on her chest from his mind before he blushed bright green. Paulina held the toolbox in her lap securely and snuggled into his chest as much as she could.

He floated up into the air and began to fly towards the smoke pillar. Halfway there Danny was starting to get tired. Much to his confusion. He landed in the forest.

"Er, we should walk from here. Keep an eye out for stuff that might have fallen out of the Speeder," Danny muttered, rubbing the bump on his head with a slight wince. Paulina frowned at Danny with concern before nodding.

"Sure. Your head is alright, right?" Paulina replied worriedly. Danny blinked and nodded.

"Yeah, but we should get to the Speeder as quickly as possible," Danny answered distractedly. Paulina nodded and they started to walk towards the smoke pillar they hoped was where they would find the Speeder.

After fifteen minutes of walking Danny was starting to feel even more tired. He didn't understand it. Was it a side effect of that drink Gavin gave him? It wasn't a big side effect, easily over looked if he hadn't been thrown into a dangerous situation. And a little weakness wasn't too much to put up with in return for how wonderful that drink had made him feel. But something made him think that the drink wasn't the cause of this peculiar weakness. It had only started since crashing on the island. If it was the drink, he would have felt it on the Speeder. But he'd only felt relaxed and Zen. He didn't feel any weaker. He just felt mellow. He could fight but he wasn't necessarily willing to fight.

So if it wasn't the drink, what was it? He'd never felt like this after hitting his head before. Maybe it was the island. But Paulina looked fine. With a pang of guilt, Danny realised he never actually checked.

"Paulina, are you alright? Kind of forgot to ask after everything," Danny asked with a slight green tinge to his cheeks. Paulina glanced at him.

"Thanks to you. I'm fine," Paulina replied with a warm smile. Danny tried to return it before turning back to his thoughts. So it wasn't affecting Paulina, whatever was happening to Danny. But… could it still be the island? It might only affect ghosts.

Half hour of walking and Danny felt exhausted.

"Paulina, can we just… stop for a bit?" Danny called softly. Paulina turned to him with a concerned frown as Danny leant against a tree.

"Is something wrong?" she inquired. Danny shook his head. He didn't want to worry Paulina. He'd have something to eat and keep off his feet for a while once they got to the Speeder. Until then, he'd just have to pace himself.

"I'm fine, just… thought we could take a break," Danny lied. Paulina raised an eyebrow before grinning.

"Oh, I see," she gasped and put the toolbox down on the ground and walked over to Danny.

"I understand what's going on here. You don't want to get back to the Speeder just yet. Well, neither do I," Paulina muttered with a seductive smirk, biting her lip lightly. Danny frowned in confusion.

"Wha-?" Danny began uncertainly.

"I know that Sam isn't comfortable with sharing you. This can be our secret. From the first time you saved me, I knew we would be together," Paulina whispered. Danny shuffled back as far as he could, uncertain of where Paulina was going with this. He pressed himself into the tree he had chosen to lean against and had nowhere else to run without floating. She gently pressed her palms on his chest and leant forward to kiss him.

"P-Paulina. I-I have a g-girlfriend," he stammered nervously.

"I know. I don't mind sharing you," Paulina breathed and pressed a tender kiss on his lips.

Danny stiffened. Paulina continued to kiss him, her hands running over his body. One hand caressed his neck before burying itself in his white hair. The other pulled his arm around her as she caressed his abdomen through his jumpsuit. Danny unfroze and tried to gently push her back and opened his mouth to set her straight. Paulina didn't hesitate to push her tongue into his mouth and deepen the kiss. Her other hand moved to his neck and she pulled herself flush to him. His heart was thundering and his head was spinning. He didn't want to do this. But he didn't know how to stop it. His head felt like cotton, his body no longer felt like his own.

"Danny!" a female voice shouted in shock. Paulina pulled away and Danny fell into the tree, weakness overcoming him. Sam and Dash were a few feet away, staring at them in shock. Paulina folded her arms and huffed disappointedly. Sam glanced at her boyfriend before storming forward towards Paulina. With no hesitation, she slapped the cheerleader's face.

"Don't kiss my boyfriend!" Sam hissed. Paulina exclaimed in outrage.

"Your boyfriend is Danny's human half. Danny's ghost half is _mine_!" Paulina growled angrily. Sam scoffed angrily.

"Danny doesn't have a split personality. There isn't Fenton and then Phantom. There's just Danny! Danny doesn't like shallow spoiled brats!" Sam snarled.

Dash watched the argument with stunned interest. But Danny was another story. His head was spinning, his legs felt like jelly and his tongue felt too large for his mouth. Unable to speak, Danny tried to push himself off the tree, knowing he had to break up this fight before it got serious. He finally push away from the tree before falling flat on his face to the ground, narrowly missing the toolbox on the ground by an inch. Sam and Paulina paused in their growing argument when they heard a heavy thud. They turned to the source before gasping. Sam ran to Danny's side.

"Danny!? Danny? What's wrong? Are you alright?" she fussed over her boyfriend.

"He hit his head. That toolbox fell from the Speeder and hit Danny," Paulina offered. Sam frowned.

"That doesn't explain this. Danny?" Sam called.

"Dunno," Danny croaked eventually. Sam's brow creased in worry.

"Dash, help me carry Danny back to the others," Sam commanded urgently. Dash rushed over and grabbed Danny's arm and pulled him to his feet. Sam ducked under Danny's other arm and together Sam and Dash half carried, half guided Danny in the right direction. Paulina grabbed the toolbox and hurried to follow them.

 **A strange weakness?**

 **Is it the island? Was it the ghost drink? Was it something else? What's happening to our favourite halfa?!**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

Less than five minutes later, Sam, Dash, Danny and Paulina arrived at the smoking Speeder. Thankfully the Speeder would be operational once they found the toolbox which must have fallen out of the Speeder. It seemed to be an easy fix to get it running. The worst was the massive dent in the side of the Speeder and the damaged hatch on the side. Maddie was surveying the damages while a lot of the others were looking for things lost in the crash, including a few overnight bags. Rebecca had refused to go and Andrea had been exempt due to her limited flexibility and her cane.

Rebecca looked up and gasped.

"What's going on? Are we in danger?" she exclaimed, seeing Danny's condition. Sam frowned.

"I don't think so. Get Mrs Fenton," Sam replied. Rebecca scowled but obeyed. Dash and Sam brought Danny to the Speeder and dropped him gently into a seat by the entry hatch. Danny's ghostly glow had dimmed a little and he could hardly keep his eyes open by now. Maddie appeared from the other side of the Speeder and gasped when she spotted Danny. She ran to his side and crouched beside him, surveying his face.

"Sweetie what's wrong?" Maddie inquired worriedly.

"This hit his head," Paulina piped up, lifting up the toolbox for everyone to see. They turned to the cheerleader.

"Paulina, this isn't from hitting his head," Maddie calmly told her.

"I'm not sure mom. I just… feel tired," Danny muttered slowly.

"You're sure it wasn't that ghost drink Danny?" Sam asked. Danny nodded.

"Only felt like this after the crash. If it was the drink…" Danny confirmed softly. Talking was exhausting. It shouldn't be. Danny didn't understand why he was so tired. He hadn't done anything to exhaust himself this much. Carrying Paulina wouldn't be a problem in ghost form. Paulina wasn't a heavy person and he had carried vehicles without much problem before. Getting hit on the head, he'd hurt it far worse in the past and gotten away with only a bump and a headache. Flying was one of the least costly powers he had. During his early days, while in ghost form, he would float without meaning to. There were many times that his friends had had to pull him back to the ground. Thankfully it hadn't happened while he was human. Walking was even less costly. And it mightn't be the island because no one else was affected.

Sam nodded in understanding. Maddie frowned.

"Ghost drink? What ghost drink?!" Maddie demanded.

"Back at that restaurant. The barman gave Danny a special ghost drink, it was the house special. It made him relax," Sam explained on Danny's behalf.

"What!? Do you realise how dangerous that was Danny?! What if that drink hurt you? What if it killed you?!" Maddie exclaimed with angry fear.

"It was fine mom," Danny mumbled. Sam sighed.

"Apparently… apparently Vlad was there before. Tried that drink and had it a few times. If it was harmful, I doubt Vlad would go back and have another," Sam added quietly. Maddie paused.

"You're sure that the ghost wasn't lying?" Maddie asked. Sam glanced at Danny. That was a possibility. Gavin might have lied about Vlad trying the drink. Maybe not for malicious purposes because both Danny and Sam could see that Gavin was a friendly ghost and meant no harm. He may have lied in order to sell the drink to Danny. If that were the case, then this sudden tiredness and apparent weakness was a possible side effect. Danny shook his head.

"I know this isn't the ghost drink," he answered firmly.

"Danny, Gavin might have been lyi-" Sam began.

"I know. But if it was the drink… I would have felt it earlier. On the Speeder. I didn't. I already considered that," Danny interrupted, opening his tired eyes and fixing a determined stare on his girlfriend. Sam nodded. She believed him. Only Danny knew what that drink was like. If he decided that the drink wasn't responsible, Sam would go along with it.

Rebecca and Andrea had joined the group around Danny by this point. Maddie bit her lip uncertainly. She didn't know what to do. Andrea huffed and using her cane, forced her way through to Danny's side.

"Let me see, used to be a nurse back in my day. Might be able to help," Andrea announced. Everyone blinked at the old woman. She certainly hadn't given the impression of being a kind hearted caring nurse. She was stern and took no nonsense. Andrea propped her cane beside the chair Danny was on and pulled open his heavy eyelid to examine his eye. She hummed.

"Can you change to human? Never looked at a ghost this close. Don't really know what's normal and what isn't," Andrea requested. Danny opened his eyes before nodding tiredly. He changed into his human form, biting back a sad sigh as he felt the normal feelings of rejection from the Ghost Zone. Danny paused a few seconds before frowning. He felt the same. His last theory had just been disproven.

"What's wrong Danny?" Sam asked, seeing the frown.

"I thought… maybe it was the island. But it wasn't affecting you," Danny mumbled. Sam gasped in understanding.

"Then you thought it was because this island only affects ghosts," Sam resumed. Danny nodded.

"But nothing changed when I turned human," Danny finished.

Andrea glanced at Sam and Maddie before turning to examine Danny again. She looked into his bloodshot eyes, took his pulse, checked his head for injury and listened to his breathing. She shuffled back slightly and growled under her breath in frustration.

"Your heart is a little slow, but that could be because you're half-ghost. Your head is fine. I don't understand where this sudden exhaustion is from," she reported. Sam took Danny's hand and frowned with concern at her boyfriend.

"Maybe some sleep will help," Rebecca suggested uncertainly. Sam and Maddie turned to Andrea. The elderly woman shrugged.

"It might. I don't really know," the woman retorted. Maddie went to the back of the Speeder and found a sandwich for her son which he tiredly ate, almost too tired to even chew. After that he promptly fell asleep.

Maddie took the toolbox and started to repair the damages to the engine. Paulina and Dash left the Speeder to search for lost items in the area. Rebecca was roped into helping Maddie with the engine, passing tools and holding the light. Andrea and Sam stayed with Danny while he slept. Sam watched him sleep, frowning in concern every time he turned over or winced in his sleep for no apparent reason.

"I always respected him you know. Going out of his way. Day after day. To save people like you and me," Andrea muttered, breaking the silence in the vehicle which until now had only been punctuated with the clanging in the engine and Maddie's voice. Sam glanced at the woman.

"Then when I found out that was only _half_ of his life. He went to school as well. He wasn't an ageless ghost. He was a teenager," Andrea resumed. Sam turned to Andrea, giving the woman her full attention.

"It made him all the more incredible. That was why I put my name in for this tour. I wanted the chance to see him properly. Not as part of a screaming crowd of teenage girls. And I wanted to see a little more about what ghosts are. In Amity Park, all you tend to see is the rampaging ghosts causing havoc. Here, ghosts are more… real I guess. We just see the nutters. But there are plenty of normal ghosts in here," Andrea continued. Sam smirked.

"It wasn't always easy for him. He stayed up half the night fighting ghosts, fell asleep in school, failed tests, missed meals, got in trouble with his parents for missing curfew, not to mention getting hurt from all the fights and being too afraid to go to a doctor in case they figured out what he was. And yet the town branded him evil and a criminal," Sam remarked. Andrea nodded.

"I can see how that would be difficult. But he had you and the Foley boy," Andrea pointed out. Sam nodded.

"I know. And later he had Jazz too. But… we're all kids. To help him, we tended to get in trouble. Skipping school to give him back up. Staying up late to help him patrol the town. Often we had to let him copy our work or finish his homework just so he could avoid flunking a subject," Sam told the woman. Andrea reminded her of her own grandmother. Andrea hummed in understanding.

"I see. Well he's lucky to have you," Andrea decided. Sam smiled warmly at the comment, glancing at Danny as he turned over on his makeshift bed in the Speeder of a couple of seats together.

An hour later, and the rest returned having found the few overnight bags that had fallen out of the Speeder and few other things such as ghost weapons.

"Maddie! Any sign of the toolbox?!" Jack shouted as he returned with Ronald.

"Yeah, Danny found it," Maddie called back as she turned to her husband. Jack grinned.

"So Danny boy is back. How's that Paulina girl?" Jack inquired. Maddie sighed sadly.

"Paulina's fine. There's something wrong with Danny. He came back completely exhausted and none of us could figure out why. He's sleeping in the Speeder right now," Maddie informed him. Jack's grin faded.

"Did he get in a fight or something? He didn't have anything at that restaurant," Jack asked worriedly. Maddie shook her head.

"All that happened was the toolbox hitting him on the head during the crash. He did have something at the restaurant though. Some kind of ghost drink. But Danny's absolutely certain that isn't responsible," Maddie explained. Jack frowned.

"Doesn't he realise how dangerous it is for him to eat or drink anything in the Ghost Zone. What if it kills his human half?" Jack muttered. Maddie shrugged.

"They said that the ghost at the bar said that another halfa had the drink a few times," Maddie recalled, careful to avoid mentioning Vlad's name.

Ronald tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"I couldn't help but overhear. I think Danny's right. If the ghost drink was the culprit then it would have happened earlier. Maybe even at the restaurant. Therefore whatever caused this tiredness had to occur more recently. Unless he caught a ghost illness while in that restaurant but he only interacted with the barman as far as I saw," Ronald theorised. Maddie and Jack blinked at the man.

"Sorry, couldn't help but throw my two cents in. I'm a detective by trade," Ronald admitted. Maddie nodded in surprise.

"That is a possibility. Does that mean that he'll get better on his own?" Maddie wondered. Ronald shrugged.

"It's possible. I'm not a doctor. But it depends doesn't it? Some illnesses clear up on their own. Some need medicine," Ronald mused. Maddie and Jack glanced at each other worriedly. They weren't doctors. They hardly knew anything about halfa physiology. They only knew how to make ghost weapons.

"How long until the Speeder is operational?" Samuel inquired, dropping Sam's overnight bag on the ground. Maddie sighed.

"I'm going to have to reconfigure it. It's more damaged than we first thought. The explosions caused a lot of damage but the crash dislodged a few things than I might have to weld back in place. And we don't have all the tools we need really. We have the basics, screwdriver, wrench, spanner and so on. So maybe… oh, two hours, at best. But we might need to settle down for a few hours so everyone can get some rest," Maddie answered thoughtfully. Ronald nodded in agreement.

"Probably for the best. So far this island seems safe. I think we could all use the rest," Ronald remarked. Samuel grunted in understanding before scooping up the bag and placed it in the Speeder.

Maddie surveyed the crash site for the first time. She'd managed to crash land in a clearing. It was fairly level on the opposite side of the clearing than the Speeder. There was a river ten minutes away on foot. She wanted to wait for Danny before deeming that water safe for humans though.

"We need some fire wood. Jack, can you and some of the others collect some?" Maddie asked. Jack nodded and Ronald volunteered to help instantly. Maddie then found a handful of expandable sleeping bags which she distributed, giving her son a concerned glance, promising herself that she would do anything he needed in order to get healthy again. Sam lit the fire and Tucker and Jazz gave out a few snacks from their rations. Everyone wrapped their sleeping bags around themselves, chewing their snacks and sharing stories.

 **I'll admit… I didn't notice until this chapter that Samuel and Sam had such similar names lol. But Samuel will always be called Samuel and Sam will always be called Sam.**

 **But any ideas on what's wrong with Danny?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

Danny opened his eyes and rolled onto his back. He had a headache. Not from the toolbox. It was a different pain. His head felt stuffed with cotton so much that it throbbed. He still felt tired but at least it wasn't so much that his eyes fluttered shut every other second. He rolled off the seat on to his feet, groaning as the sudden movement made the Speeder spin around him. He unsteadily walked out of the Speeder and spotted the flickering orange light of a camp fire. He ventured over to it.

"Danny? How are you feeling?" Jazz called, spotting him first.

"Bit better thanks," he mumbled sitting down beside her and Sam. Jazz handed him a sleeping bag which he draped over his crossed legs, propping his head on his hand, elbow on his knee.

"Still tired huh?" Sam whispered to him as Andrea resumed her story during her time as a nurse on a teen that somehow got a rubber stuck in his ear. Danny nodded.

"And my head feels awful too. But I'll be fine," Danny replied softly.

"Mom and dad are starting to think that maybe you picked up a ghost bug in that restaurant. Makes sense. You're not used to hanging around in the Ghost Zone with other ghosts. Or maybe you picked it up from the drink. You know like how you're not meant to drink water in foreign places," Jazz informed him. Danny glanced at her before considering the possibility.

"Maybe. We can go to Frostbite once we get everyone back home," Danny remarked. Sam nodded in agreement.

After another half hour of talking, the group snuggled down into their sleeping bags and fell asleep by the camp fire. Rebecca only complained twice before dropping off. Danny, despite having been awake only for a short while, easily fell asleep again. The only ones not able to sleep were Kyle and Tucker. Tucker tended to find it difficult to sleep without the comforting buzzing of his computer in the background and at least one bright light from a charger. Tucker sighed and threw another log onto the fire.

"Can't sleep either huh?" he remarked softly to Kyle. Kyle sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. Just can't relax," Kyle confirmed. Tucker smiled sympathetically. He glanced at Danny as he turned over in his sleep.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Kyle whispered, following Tucker's gaze.

"I hope so. But it is weird. But we can always ask Frostbite for some help," Tucker assured the slightly older teen.

Kyle and Tucker fell into a comfortable silence, watching the fire crackle, adding the occasional log. There was an odd murmur or shuffling as someone turned over in their sleep, often Danny. In a way, it was an unnerving peaceful quiet.

"Is it always like this in the Ghost Zone?" Kyle eventually broke the silence. Tucker looked up from the flickering fire before shrugging.

"Depends what you mean by that. Is it usually quiet, green and a little cold? Yes. Scary, only sometimes. Beautiful, we've never really gone solely sight-seeing. The most we ever saw was the river of revulsion and carnivorous canyon. Carnivorous canyon is just a giant mouth before you ask. And the river of revulsion, trust me, you have never smelt anything worse," Tucker answered.

"What about-?" Kyle began.

"Totally worse," Tucker interjected with a knowing frown of disgust. Kyle bit his lip.

"Hope it's not on the tour then," Kyle muttered. Tucker snorted.

"I think the plan right now is just getting to the Fenton portal. But that might change yet. If Danny gets bad, we might have to get him some help first. But the goal is to fix the Speeder and get back to familiar territory," Tucker admitted. Kyle frowned but nodded.

"That's too bad. I wanted to see more. But I guess we have been here a long time. And Danny isn't doing too well," Kyle replied sadly, glancing at Danny as he winced in his sleep. Tucker sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. I know that we've found a few places this trip into the Ghost Zone that Danny wants to go back to. But with Danny not on top form, it is bad. He's our best protection and some parts of the Ghost Zone are dangerous and very anti-human," Tucker remarked. Kyle frowned.

"Why are ghosts against humans? Weren't they human once?" Kyle inquired. Tucker frowned and glanced at Danny as he turned over again.

"It's because of ghost hunters. Especially the Guys in White," Tucker explained.

"Guys in White?" Kyle repeated in confusion. Tucker nodded seriously.

"Secret government organisation tasked with catching and destroying all ghosts. They've tried to catch Danny a few times. When we first met them, they weren't really that good. Honestly, they were a joke. But… I guess their determination to catch Danny pushed them to do better. They upgraded their tech. They got better aim. I think they even got more funding and more agents. They got close a couple of times. The closest was when they openly attacked Gregor thinking he was Phantom," Tucker informed the teen.

"Gregor? Wasn't he called Elliot?" Kyle recalled. Tucker shrugged.

"I don't know what his name was. Whatever he was, he was a complete jerk after he got caught acting all Goth and Hungarian," Tucker replied.

"So, did the Guys in White apologise after Danny saved the world?" Kyle asked hopefully. Tucker shook his head.

"They've gone quiet since then. They haven't attacked Danny yet so that's something. But for now, we're being careful. Not releasing any information that they could use. The Fentons are restricting what weapons they sell to the public. I'm even working on legally stopping the Guys in White coming to Amity Park period. But that's not going to be for a while yet," Tucker answered. Kyle frowned.

"They can't possibly attack him now though right? He's half-human. That's got to violate some laws or his rights or something," Kyle retorted with outrage. A few people stirred making the teens flinch, not meaning to be talking so loudly. Tucker sighed once the others had time to drift off again.

"The Guys in White have jurisdiction over ghosts. Danny is half-ghost. So, he kind of falls into their crosshairs," Tucker pointed out regretfully.

Suddenly there was a howl in the distance. Kyle grinned.

"Cool," he gasped. Tucker shook his head.

"Not cool. Ghost wolves are really aggressive," Tucker correctly, throwing a worried glance at his sick, sleeping friend. Kyle scowled in confusion at Tucker.

"What do we do?" Kyle asked fearfully.

"Let's… let's wait a bit. That howl sounded really far off. Hopefully, it'll stay that way," Tucker replied, carefully scanning the nearby tree line. Both teens remained silent and listened tensely for any more wolves howling. With a flinch, they heard another two howls. Much closer than the first. Kyle turned fearful eyes to Tucker.

"We wake everyone up and arm ourselves. That's a pack heading our way," Tucker decided.

Kyle scrambled to his feet and ran to the closest person, Dash.

"Dash! Wake up!" Kyle shouted, shaking the blonde teen's shoulder. Tucker turned to Sam and shook her shoulder.

"Five more minutes," she mumbled blearily. Tucker rolled his eyes.

"Sam, get up. Ghost wolf pack," Tucker hissed urgently. Sam rolled over and brushed his hand off her shoulder.

"Danny's hurt," Tucker lied, knowing that would wake her up in a second. Sam sat up with wide worried eyes.

"What happened?! Where is he?" she exclaimed.

"Relax Sam. Danny's fine. Well, he's no different. But I've heard a few howls and they're getting closer," Tucker informed her. Sam nodded seriously and kicked the sleeping bag off herself. She ran to the Speeder and grabbed a number of ghost weapons. Tucker moved on to Jazz, waking her quickly and she then helped to wake her parents. Dash and Kyle had woken Andrea, Samuel and Paulina by this point.

Tucker turned to his friend and gently shook his shoulder.

"Danny? Wake up Danny. Ghost attacking," Tucker muttered, feeling guilty for waking the halfa when he felt so sick. Danny groaned.

"No ghost sense," he mumbled before sighing tiredly, already drifting off again.

"We're in the Ghost Zone, remember?" Tucker reminded him. Danny frowned.

"Ghost Zone?" Danny repeated in confusion, opening his eyes and turning to his friend.

"The tour remember? Jazz's idea," Tucker elaborated worriedly. Danny was rarely this spacy, even after just waking up. Danny blinked before nodding.

"Right. Right, I remember now," Danny murmured and sat up. He frowned.

"Where's the ghost?" he asked, getting to his feet unsteadily.

"Not here yet. Been hearing wolf howls coming closer," Tucker admitted. Danny frowned worriedly.

"Not good. I'll try and head them off before they get here," Danny decided.

"Are you sure dude? Maybe we should stick together since you're not feeling well," Tucker suggested. Danny glanced at his friend. He shook his head.

"I'll be fine. I've gotten a lot of rest and I'm feeling a bit better," Danny retorted stubbornly. To prove his point he changed into his ghost form.

The moment the light faded, he staggered on his feet, hit with a wave of weakness and his head spun. He doubled over and vomited. Tucker gasped and held his friend's shoulders as the halfa collapsed to his knees. Everyone froze and turned to Danny as he shivered and retched again. Sam returned to the camp fire with her arms filled with weapons, dropping them and rushing to Danny's side.

"Danny?" she called worriedly, dropping to his side and holding him up as he threatened to topple. He shivered and swallowed down another wave of nausea.

"I'm f-fine," he shakily mumbled. Sam didn't move away and Danny didn't try to push her away. They both knew he wasn't fine. He was trying to look strong for the others.

"We'll show you how to use these ghost weapons," Jazz announced, drawing attention away from Danny as he recovered.

Danny hardly heard his parents as they taught the group how to operate the wrist rays they'd brought in case of an emergency such as this. Sam waited for her boyfriend to regain himself, holding his shaking body up. Danny took deep breaths, trying to stop the forest spinning and the burning in his throat as he swallowed back the reflex to vomit again. Tucker ran off and grabbed a water bottle from the Speeder. He pressed it into Danny's hand, already opened. Danny took a large gulp and his nausea eased a little. He took another sip before staggering to his feet with Sam's help. Another wave of nausea hit him. He shut his eyes and took another sip of water and the nausea eased again.

"Dude?" Tucker called nervously.

"I'm okay. I think… I think it's over now," Danny mumbled. He handed his friend the water and opened his eyes. He gently pulled away from Sam and took a few tentative steps. Then a soft sigh in relief, he didn't collapse or begin vomiting again.

Everyone tensed as a fourth howl filled the air, unnervingly close. Danny took a deep breath and set his jaw, scowling with determination.

"They must have caught our scent from when we searched for our stuff. Tracked us back to here," Sam whispered. Danny floated into the air.

"I'll try and lead them away. But be ready in case it doesn't work," Danny called over his shoulder, charging forward before anyone could object. Sam scowled after her boyfriend but with a sigh, turned to the group and began to get ready for the ghost wolf pack.

Danny flew through the forest, flickering intangible to limit his energy use in dodging the trees. He knew he couldn't rely on power or even stamina for this fight. He could already feel himself tiring. Thankfully it didn't take long to find the wolf pack. No less than twenty glowing, green wolves with snarling teeth and drool dripping from their mouths. Danny bit back a gasp in alarm. They hadn't seen him yet, too busy snuffling in the dirt looking for the scent trail they were following. Danny landed on the ground and gave a loud whistle.

"Hey! Looking for me!" Danny shouted. The wolves snapped their heads up to look at him. They growled deep in their throats and began to circle him, ready to attack. Danny tensed, suddenly struck by how stupid he'd been. He couldn't rely on his stamina to outrun them right now. He had to out think them. And as usual, he rushed in without making a plan.

The first wolf pounced and Danny fired a ghost ray instinctively. A wave of weakness hit him, but the wolf was blasted into a tree and knocked out. Danny swayed for a second before recovering. The rest of the pack seemed to hesitate after seeing that Danny wasn't defenceless. Danny gritted his teeth and using a technique he saw in some movie, growled loudly back at the wolves. These were animals. He had to speak a language they understood. A display of power and growling he knew was a threat. And that was really all he had. On a normal day, he would easily be able to fight the entire pack off. But he was sick right now. Definitely not on top form. He couldn't afford to fight.

The wolves' growling eased slightly as his actions confused them. Danny growled louder and formed ghost rays in his hands, encouraged by their increased reluctance to attack. The wolves paced uncertainly and backed off more. He took a brave step forward and the wolves changed their body language from offensive to defensive. Danny fired one of his ready ghost rays and hit another wolf which yelped and whimpered in pain. One of the larger wolves charged forward and snapped threateningly at him. Danny didn't stop his own growling as he was overcome with dizziness. Once he could stand firm again, he flashed his eyes bright green and the wolves reluctantly retreated. Danny didn't stop growling until the last wolf disappeared into the tree shadows. The last wolf being the wolf Danny knocked out, having woken up and stumbled off with its tail between its legs. Danny extinguished his hands and collapsed against a tree in relief and tiredness. He gave himself a few seconds to recover before stumbling through the forest on foot back to the camp.

 **So, yeah, Danny's not getting better. And things have gone from bad to worse with ghost wolves hunting the group.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

After twenty minutes of walking, Danny was beginning to tire. He heard a stream trickling through the forest and he detoured from his relatively straight path back to the Speeder to pass it. He reached it within a minute. He dropped to his knees and scooped a handful of water into his hands and sipped it experimentally. He rolled it around in his mouth before deeming it safe. There was a slight tang that Danny recognised as ectoplasm. He instantly knew that no human should risk drinking the water, but as a halfa, as long as the concentration wasn't too high, he was fine with consuming ectoplasm. He gulped down as much water as he could stomach before shaking the water off his white gloved hands and wiping his mouth dry on his sleeve.

He stumbled to his feet and trudged onwards tiredly, feeling a little refreshed and more able to continue. With a sigh he saw the orange light of the camp fire leaking through the trees. He allowed himself a smile of relief and staggered into the light. Rebecca and Samuel spun around ready to attack, Rebecca firing a shot that went wide.

"Wait!" Sam and Tucker screamed, running forward to Danny's side.

"Did you find them?" Tucker inquired. Danny nodded.

"I think I scared them off," Danny confirmed. Sam frowned and wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling his arm around her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

"Tired, but I'm okay. But we shouldn't hang around any longer than we have to. That was a big pack and they probably won't stay away forever," Danny answered, giving his mother a serious look. She nodded and ran to the Speeder, fetching the toolbox as she went, Jack hot on her heels.

Sam guided Danny to the Speeder. She sat him down and fetched him something to eat but the sight of the energy bar made his stomach churn uncomfortably. He refused the snack.

"Dude, you gotta keep your energy up," Tucker interjected worriedly. Danny shook his head.

"No. I'm sorry, but even looking at that is making me feel sick," Danny muttered.

"Danny, you're sick. You should eat something. We can find something different. Easier to eat," Sam offered worriedly. Danny stubbornly shook his head.

"I don't think it's a good idea. Sorry guys. I don't want to eat right now," Danny mumbled, rubbing his forehead, trying to ease his throbbing headache.

"Well, maybe you should get some sleep then," Tucker suggested. Danny shook his head.

"No. I have to be ready. In case those wolves come back. They know I'm a threat. If I'm ready and waiting, it might limit the fighting and injuries," Danny replied. Sam and Tucker glanced at each other worriedly.

Danny sat back in his seat by the jammed access hatch, resting his eyes, clutching a bottle of water which he occasionally sipped from. The tour group kept a careful watch for any sign of ghost wolves. Maddie and Jack worked hard on fixing the Speeder engine. They'd get to the jammed hatch when they were in safer territory, not racing the clock until a vicious ghost wolf pack attacked them. Sam and Tucker sat with Danny, ready to grab whatever he needed. Both getting more and more worried about the halfa.

Almost half an hour later, they heard the first howls. Danny's eyes snapped open in alarm as everyone froze with fear. Maddie and Jack resumed their repairs as fast as possible. Danny got to his feet and scanned the tree line as the others readied themselves for a fight. They had no notice before the first wolf lunged out of the trees at Ronald. The moustached man fired his weapon and hit with accuracy, throwing the ghost back into a tree where it crumpled in to a heap. Danny ran forward and squinted at the shadowy trees. The next thing they knew Rebecca screamed and Kyle shot a second wolf, loudly thanking his years of playing shooting games.

"They must be all around us!" Sam shouted with steel in her voice to hide her fear. Danny scowled and nodded in agreement. He wordlessly floated into the air and shot up as far as he dared and scanned the forest around them. He caught a glimpse of the tell-tale glow of a ghost creeping towards Samuel.

"Samuel, there's one coming at you on your right!" Danny warned. Samuel spun on his heel and fired, hitting the wolf perfectly.

Danny returned to his search. He shouted down to the humans warnings as three wolves snuck up on three different fronts on Lance, Paulina and Andrea in unison. Thanks to his warnings, the group was able to defend themselves and quickly took down twelve wolves. If the entire pack had been on the original hunt, that meant that there were twenty in total, therefore eight left. Danny frowned at the forest but couldn't spot any more ghosts. Danny drifted down, ignoring his quickly increasing fatigue. He turned himself invisible and floated through the trees, scanning the area for any hint of glowing green. He finally spotted one and turned himself visible, igniting his hands and began to growl again. The wolf snapped its head around to look at him before slowly backing away nervously. Danny flashed his eyes brightly and the wolf whined fearfully before running away, giving a soft yip. Danny turned to see another two wolves running after the fleeing wolf.

Danny extinguished his hands and floated back to the clearing, landing clumsily beside Tucker, who quickly steadied him.

"Saw a few wolves run off. Keep an eye out though. Might come back, or might be more around. I saw twenty the first time, only accounted for about fifteen so far," Danny reported, his legs starting to shake from exertion. The group set their jaws and nodded, returning to their vigil of the tree line.

"Dude, you're shaking. Maybe you should stop," Tucker whispered, a steadying hand still on his friend's shoulder. Danny swallowed a wave of tired nausea and shook his head.

"Not yet. I'll be fine," Danny refused, scanning the trees and didn't see Tucker's concerned glance.

Five minutes later, Jack and Maddie started to try and turn on the Speeder.

"Give it some more Jack!" Maddie called to her husband while she surveyed the engine for problems she might have missed. The engine clicked and sputtered but couldn't seem to start itself. Danny glanced over his shoulder at his parents. He knew that they were doing their best to fix the vehicle but they really needed off this island. As the minutes trickled by, he grew more and more exhausted. Standing took effort for him since he got sick. He was glad for Tucker's support and knew without it, he probably would have collapsed by now. Since they were on high alert for attacking wolves or recovered wolves looking for revenge, Danny couldn't return to the Speeder and sit down. No matter how much he needed it.

Suddenly the Speeder engine roared into life and Maddie slammed down the access panel. Jack reeved the engine a few times and the vehicle unsteadily began to hover.

"Alright, everyone on board. Our repairs won't hold forever," Maddie ordered. Rebecca, Kyle, Lance, Dash and Paulina dropped their guard and sprinted for the Speeder. Danny's eyes widened as he spotted six wolves giving chase and another ten charging into the clearing. Ronald, Sam, Tucker, Samuel, Jazz and Andrea began firing their wrist rays. Maddie ducked into the Speeder and grabbed a couple of ghost guns and fired at the ghosts herself from the Speeder entrance.

"Jazz! Andrea! I'll cover you!" Maddie yelled. Danny pushed himself away from Tucker. He shook his head as he realised they were outnumbered and someone would get hurt. Whether it be someone holding their ground in the clearing or the people hiding in the Speeder if the wolves attacked that. These wolves, while aggressive, were intelligent. Danny suddenly understood what they had been doing. They had waited for them to drop their guard before rushing them.

Danny gathered his energy in his body, his ghostly aura thickened and pulsed green. He slowly backed closer to the centre of the clearing. He didn't know if he'd be able to withstand what he was going to do but he couldn't just stand by and let someone get hurt. They were depending on him to protect them. And sick or not, he would.

"Danny! What are you doing?!" Jazz yelled, pausing beside the Speeder.

"Everyone! Get in the Speeder!" Danny roared as his energy built. His eyes glowed bright green, so much that his pupils were no longer discernible. His body was shaking both from exhaustion and the effort of holding this ocean of power back. He slowly turned to the Speeder and waited for the last person to board, Sam and Tucker doing so reluctantly. Finally deeming it safe and no humans in the line of fire. Danny conjured a shield around the Speeder, his vision blurring from the effort. With a scream, he released the energy he built up. A wave of green energy pulsed out of him to cover the entire clearing, blasting anything not tied down or protected by a shield away into the surrounding trees. The most exposed trees cracked from the pressure.

Danny crumpled to the ground, passing out and reverting to human. His shield around the Speeder faded and barely a second later, Sam, Tucker and Jazz ran out to the halfa's side. Together, Sam and Tucker heaved Danny up by his arms around their shoulders. Jazz scanned the clearing for any danger but every single wolf present had been knocked out. She kept her eyes open though as they brought Danny into the Speeder, dropping him gently in a seat at the back, safely away from the jammed hatch.

"Is he alright?" Lance asked worriedly. Sam sank into the seat beside him.

"I think he exhausted himself with that stunt. Some rest and he should be alright," Sam answered softly, hoping she was right.

"Except that kind of thing doesn't usually tire him out so much," Tucker muttered, much too loud in the silence that had filled the Speeder.

"He's getting worse," Sam agreed.

Jack drove away from the island with the ghost wolf pack and landed on the edge of the next island. This one was much smaller and more exposed with almost no trees and few large boulders for cover. Maddie and Jack returned to the engine and resumed their repairs. The Speeder was extremely badly damaged. Its flight was rattling and the gauges constantly threatened another crash. The group took turns to keep watch for any danger. Danny was still unconscious in the back of the Speeder. Jazz, Sam and Tucker gathered together in relative privacy.

"Danny's getting a lot worse. This illness is serious," Jazz muttered to the two younger teens. Both nodded in agreement.

"What do we do?" Tucker inquired.

"He needs a doctor. But Andrea's right, no human actually knows how much Danny differs. We don't know what's normal and what isn't," Sam mumbled.

"Danny said something about Frostbite being able to help. But do you think he's right?" Jazz recalled. Sam and Tucker glanced at each other.

"If he can't, he'll be able to find someone who can," Sam decided and Tucker nodded.

"But we're heading to the Fenton portal. Do you have the Far Frozen co-ordinates in the Speeder software?" Jazz asked. Tucker tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"I think we do. We'll be able to check as long as the computer hard drive and everything wasn't damaged in the crash," Tucker answered.

"About that. I asked my parents, they can't see what caused the crash in the first place. Do you think that...? I hate to say it, but do you think someone might be sabotaging the tour?" Jazz informed them. Sam and Tucker blinked in surprise before frowning in thought.

"The map did disappear earlier. And I know I left it on my seat before leaving the Speeder," Tucker pointed out. Sam sighed.

"Look, right now. That doesn't matter. We'll keep an eye out but we have to focus on getting Danny help. And I think we might need to watch him closer. We need to figure out the symptoms. Maybe it's a ghost version of a human sickness," Sam replied. Jazz tapped her chin.

"Well, he's obviously a lot weaker. Tires easily. Especially when using his ghost powers," Jazz recalled. Tucker nodded.

"I was practically holding him up back during that wolf attack. He felt so sick that he refused to eat anything too," Tucker resumed.

"I think he's been having headaches too. And when he sleeps, he's really restless. Tossing and turning. He's even winced in his sleep. I dunno if he's dreaming or if it's because of his illness," Sam added.

Tucker then went to the computer and changed their destination, updating Maddie and Jack on the situation. They would go to Frostbite first before getting everyone to the portal. They decided to keep the change in destination to themselves for now to prevent panic among the civilians present. If they knew just how seriously sick Danny was, then they might worry and cause further problems. Sam sat with Danny and Jazz searched their storage cupboards for anything to help her brother feel better.

An hour later, Jack and Maddie turned to the jammed access hatch and unlocked the opening mechanism which had seized up for some odd reason during the crash. The access hatch used different wires and mechanisms to the engine. The explosions seemed to have had no reason to occur but there was no reason at all for the hatch to jam open. If anything, it should have jammed shut after collision in the crash. Neither parent could understand it. But to avoid unnecessary worry, they didn't tell the rest.

Almost three hours after landing, the Speeder had been repaired. It was a much better job and should hold as long as the Speeder didn't get attacked directly. The group gathered together just outside the Speeder to eat some snacks. Their provisions were starting to run out. They hadn't expected to get lost in the Ghost Zone for so long. Sam nibbled on her own rations of vegan cookies from her bag inside the Speeder. Danny shifted in his sleep and his blue eyes fluttered open. Sam dropped her cookie back into the recycled paper bag it came from and grabbed his hand.

"Danny? How do you feel?" Sam inquired. Danny rolled his neck slowly and scanned his surroundings.

"Not great. My head's killing me," he croaked softly, lifting his free hand to rub his temple.

"Jazz found these in the back of the cupboard," Sam informed him and handed him a pack of painkillers. Danny smiled gratefully, but it looked a little strained. Sam grabbed a bottle of water from behind her and handed it to him. He swallowed two white pills happily, sipping the water before replacing the lid and closing his eyes and propping his head in his hand tiredly.

"Do you want anything to eat? I think you should. You know that you need to eat more than us after a big ghost fight. You need to recover your energy," Sam asked. Danny shook his head.

"Not right now. No thanks," Danny answered softly. Sam frowned worriedly at her boyfriend.

Sam scanned his face, taking note how pale he looked. Before he had looked tired. But now he looked sick. She felt his forehead and frowned at how clammy his skin felt.

"What are you doing?" he mumbled sleepily.

"You feel clammy. I'm worried Danny. We're taking you to the Far Frozen first. No arguments. You need help," Sam informed him. Danny frowned unhappily but didn't argue. He knew his sickness was getting worse. He woke up feeling achy, nauseous and with the worst headache he'd ever had. He felt tired already. His throat felt scratchy and dry despite the water he'd just had.

"Danny, can you tell me your symptoms? When you started feeling sick? Jazz thought this might be a ghost version of a human illness. Besides, the more we work out now, the more information we can give Frostbite," Sam reasoned. Danny licked his dry lips and nodded.

"Um, I started to feel tired when I started flying back to the Speeder with Paulina after the crash. That's why we were walking. I didn't want to worry her. It came on pretty quick to be honest," Danny recalled, hoping the pain killers would start kicking in soon. Sam nodded in understanding.

"What are your symptoms though?" Sam inquired. Danny sighed tiredly.

"Tiredness. Tire easily. Headache. Feeling like I'm gonna be sick. Dry throat. I feel sore too. Kinda like I have a really bad cold. Worst one I've ever had," Danny muttered. Sam frowned sympathetically.

"Anything I can do to help?" Sam offered. Danny shook his head.

"I don't think so. But thanks. Mom and dad fixed the Speeder then," Danny replied. Sam nodded.

"They fixed it enough to get off that island. Then landed here to repair it properly. Fixed the door too. I think they said the opening mechanism triggered and seized up somehow. Everyone else is just outside having something to eat," Sam told him. Danny nodded.

"Are they all alright?" he asked. Sam smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks to you. We're all fine. But you need to take better care of yourself Danny. This illness is serious," Sam retorted. Danny nodded.

 **What do you think is wrong with Danny?**

 **What about the worry of sabotage?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

Half an hour later and the group was in the Speeder flying towards the Far Frozen. Danny sat at the back of the Speeder, dozing on and off with either Sam or Jazz beside him. Tucker was at the front helping Maddie, who was back behind the wheel, navigating through the Ghost Zone. The Speeder was almost completely silent with the occasional person glancing back to check on Danny. Everyone was very aware that the halfa was incredibly sick and gradually getting worse.

After three hours of flying non-stop, Maddie landed on a sandy island in order to take a break from driving. The group eagerly took the opportunity to stretch their legs. Everyone except Danny who was sleeping and Sam who volunteered to stay with him. Jazz surveyed the sandy island and squinted at a large monument in the distance.

"Tucker! Is that what I think it is?" Jazz called, pointing to it. Tucker followed her gaze before nodding.

"If you think that looks a lot like a pyramid, then yes," Tucker confirmed.

"We could check it out. Didn't the Egyptians have a lot of medicine and stuff," Dash suggested, with a quick glance back at the Speeder. It was clear what he meant. They might be able to find help for Danny. Tucker sighed and shrugged.

"How do you know that?" Kyle challenged in surprise. Dash scratched his head before shrugging.

"Must have slept through a documentary on TV or something. Can't remember," Dash admitted. Tucker flinched.

"So glad I wiped his memory. But again, you ask for a complete memory wipe and that's what you get," Tucker muttered to himself with an annoyed scowl.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. Yes, we could find something to help Danny. But we could also end up in a lot of danger from traps, which the Egyptians were also known for, or ghosts residing in this realm," Tucker finally replied. Everyone frowned in understanding. Maddie glanced at the Speeder before looking off towards the pyramid.

"I'm going. If there's even a chance that there's something there to help my son, I'm going," Maddie decided firmly. Dash, Ronald and Kyle quickly volunteered to go as well. Tucker decided to go as well to make sure the expedition didn't get into too much trouble whereas Jazz decided that herself and Jack should stay behind in case there was trouble at the Speeder. Samuel said he'd stay behind with Rebecca, Andrea, Paulina and Lance as well. Lance wasn't a very good ghost hunter and despite knowing his boss would be furious at him for missing the opportunity to get closer to a ghostly monument, he didn't want to go anywhere so dangerous. Paulina and Rebecca couldn't hit the broad side of a barn and Andrea wasn't nimble enough in a fight or for a long hike cross country. Jazz and Jack didn't pretend to be the best ghost hunters in the family either. But Samuel had excellent aim and control when under pressure. Samuel and Sam would be enough to protect the group, if Danny was unable, should something happen.

Less than twenty minutes later, Kyle came running back shouting for help. Unfortunately Danny was awake at the time, and ignoring Sam's fussing, got to his feet to see what had happened.

"What's wrong?" Jazz inquired worriedly.

"Tucker was right. That pyramid. There were a load of ghosts. Mummy ghosts. They caught Mrs Fenton and then locked her in one of those coffin things," Kyle explained rapidly.

"Sarcophagus. Go on," Jazz prompted, worry in her eyes but scowling in concentration as she listened attentively.

"Well, I ran. I ran for it and got away. I think Ronald, Dash and Tucker got caught too," Kyle answered shame-facedly. Danny turned to Sam who was behind him.

"Why were they in a pyramid?" he asked her sternly. Sam sighed.

"They thought, hoped really, that there would be something there to help you feel better. Mrs Fenton decided to go first and before they knew it a team had volunteered themselves for the expedition. I was with you," Sam explained.

Danny shook his head, worry in his blue eyes.

"I thought the plan was to get Frostbite to help me," he reminded her sternly. Sam nodded.

"We're worried about you Danny. This illness is getting worse and we just want to help you. Egyptians were known for their medicine. They took wrist rays and weapons in case anything happened. They knew the danger," Sam informed him. Danny huffed loudly in annoyance.

"I don't want anyone putting themselves in danger because of me. I'm a little sick. I'll get better. Medicine would be great but I can manage until then," Danny retorted. Sam hugged him.

"I'm scared Danny. You've never been this sick before. We didn't even know ghosts could get sick. We're all scared for you. We don't know how to help you," Sam whispered in his ear. Danny froze, hearing the sincerity and fear in her voice. He hugged her back.

"I'll be alright Sam. I've beaten the ghost king. My future. Even an asteroid of anti-ghost element. I can beat some illness Sam. I'm just a little under the weather," Danny reassured her gently.

Danny gently pulled away and gave her a warm smile. He then began to walk away. Sam gasped.

"Where are you going?" she called after him, alerting his actions to the others listening to Kyle tell the story in better depth.

"Well, I'm going to help them. They got themselves in trouble for me. Now I'm getting them out of it," Danny replied, not stopping his walk out into the desert towards the pyramid.

"But you're sick!" Paulina shouted after him.

"I'll be fine. I just have to be careful about how I fight. Hopefully this is just a misunderstanding and I can talk the ghosts down," Danny retorted and he was soon out of earshot, shouting that he would go alone knowing that Sam was the Speeder's best defence if something happened.

Fifteen minutes later, he reached the foot of the pyramid. He panted tiredly and leant against the sandy, stone, sloped wall. He wiped his brow and wiped the sweat on his jeans leg. He was starting to tire already but he couldn't stop just yet. With a sigh, Danny knew he couldn't hold off changing into his ghost form. He reached inside himself and pull out his ghost half. In a flash of light, he changed into Phantom. He groaned as his headache got suddenly worse and his head spun for a few minutes. He was also overcome with a coughing fit.

By the time he recovered, his chest ached from the coughing and he was gasping to get his breath back. He groaned and opened his eyes which had shut with the force of his coughs. He wiped his brow again and froze as he spotted green on his glove. He gasped as he realised it was his ghostly blood staining his glove. He was coughing up blood! He pushed himself to his feet and pushed his worries to the back of his mind. The sooner he saved the others, the sooner they could leave and get to the Far Frozen and the sooner he got medical help. Despite what he said to Sam, he was afraid. He hadn't known about ghost illnesses before. He hadn't been this sick before. He may not be a doctor but he didn't need to be to know that coughing blood was bad.

Finally recovered enough to continue, he trudged towards the opening into the pyramid. He was hit by a cool breeze causing him to shiver. He carefully walked forwards, keeping his eyes and ears open, ignoring his slightly wheezy breath and throbbing head. He squinted in the gloom, reluctant to use up his energy in simply lighting his way. Just as he was starting to think he would be forced to charge his hand with ghost energy to avoid tripping over uneven paving slabs, a burning torch came to his attention. The torches burned with purple fire, throwing eerie shadows across the painted walls inscribed with hieroglyphs. Danny sighed softly in relief and happily wrestled the torch from its bracket.

Holding the torch aloft, Danny walked through the stone passages. He froze when he heard a soft shuffle ahead. Danny swallowed his nerves and continued onwards. He turned a corner and saw four sarcophagi and a fifth at the ready propped against the room's walls. He frowned and scanned the area again and saw nothing else of note. A few loose bricks and cobwebs but nothing to worry about. Cautiously, Danny edged closer to the nearest sarcophagus and yanked it open. Inside Danny found Dash blinking his eyes at the sudden light.

"Oh man! Thank you so much I thought-" Dash exclaimed, silenced by Danny's hand covering his mouth.

"Shh! I don't know where those ghosts that attacked you are. I can't afford to get into a fight right now. Help me open the others," Danny ordered softly. Dash nodded quickly and pulled himself out of the sarcophagus and quickly shuffled to the next one. Danny glanced at the three entrances into the room, one being the one he took into the pyramid itself.

Dash opened one to find Maddie and they opened the next two to find Ronald and Tucker.

"Dude, what are you doing here?" Tucker hissed.

"What does it look like? I'm saving your butt," Danny retorted sharply. Tucker blushed with embarrassment.

"Let's get back to the Speeder," Danny concluded and turned to the entrance he used.

"Wait, we came here-" Maddie began.

"I know. To find medicine for me. It's not worth it. I'll go to Frostbite," Danny interrupted.

"But sweetie-" Maddie attempted again. Danny shook his head adamantly.

"No. I don't want you to put yourselves in danger on a hope to find some ghost pain killers or whatever. I'll be fine," Danny insisted, giving his mother a determined and stubborn frown. Maddie sighed.

"Danny, I'm your mother. I'm meant to do these kinds of things. I meant to make you better," Maddie argued.

"Mom, I know you don't like it. But this was too dangerous. You shouldn't have done this. Come on, before we get caught," Danny replied. Maddie sighed in defeat and nodded disappointedly.

They began to file to the entrance Danny used only to be stopped by a number of weathered bandages weaving themselves into a barricade. Danny spun around to face three mummy-like ghosts. One was clearly female while the other two were male. They all wore rags for clothes over their wrappings and had glowing eyes. Danny handed the torch to Dash who happily grabbed it and held it aloft so everyone could see.

"We do not allow trespassers," the female declared. Danny nodded and stepped towards them.

"Sorry, a bit of a misunderstanding. Wrong realm. I'll return the torch to its place and we'll leave, no harm done," Danny offered.

"Not good enough," one of the male ghosts retorted. Danny frowned and folded his arms.

"Alright, what would you prefer we do?" Danny replied stiffly.

"Pay for your crime," the third ghost declared. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Pay for my crime? Which is?" Danny challenged.

"Trespassing and attempted theft," the female retorted sharply. Danny blinked before nodding.

"Last I looked attempted theft wasn't against the rules. Theft, yes. But as far as I'm concerned that crime wasn't committed. And I'm offering to leave without a problem. There was a misunderstanding," Danny countered.

"Humans are not allowed in our realm," the first male added, glaring at the humans behind Danny. Danny glanced back at them.

"Like I said, wrong realm. We're sorry. There wasn't a sign and… honestly we're a little lost. Looking for the kingdom of Aragon. I'm delivering them to the prince. He's back on that whole wanting humans in his realm thing," Danny lied, hoping that the ghosts in this realm weren't up to date with other realm politics.

Dash opened his mouth to comment but Tucker quickly kicked the jock in the shin and shook his head. The blonde teen blinked but pursed his lips tightly. The three mummies shared meaningful looks before turning to Danny.

"So these humans are yours?" the female ghost inquired. Danny bit his tongue but nodded. The three ghosts scowled angrily at Danny.

"Then you must face the punishment," the first male declared. Danny frowned and set his jaw.

"What are you talking about?" Danny demanded.

"These are your humans. They have broken our laws. Therefore you must face the consequences," the second male mummy explained. Danny sighed.

"Fine, what do you want me to do?" Danny relented, hoping it wouldn't be anything major.

"Well for each human it would be encasement in a sarcophagus for twenty years. But as you have five humans who each trespassed, as did yourself, one human resisted punishment and five accounts of attempted theft and your own attempt at impeding justice. That will all add up," the first male listed. Danny huffed loudly.

"I thought we established that attempted theft isn't a real thing," Danny grumbled.

"It is for us," the second male interjected.

"Our normal punishment for a crime of this magnitude is mummification and imprisonment for two hundred years. But as you're an outsider, we'll lessen the punishment. One hundred years," the female ghost decided.

"Just the hundred years?" Maddie whispered fearfully.

"Oh no. The mummification first," the ghost corrected. Danny blinked. His mind going blank. It didn't help that he was tired, aching and had a throbbing headache.

"Look, I think that this is all one big misunderstanding and we can talk it out. I don't like pulling this card. I'm Phantom. Danny Phantom," Danny replied. The three mummies looked at each other.

"As in the halfa?" the second male mummy asked. Danny sighed softly and nodded. The mummies glanced at each other and stepped to one side to mutter to each other. Tucker took a half-step closer to the halfa.

"You sure about this dude?" Tucker whispered.

"I'm hoping my reputation is gonna help us," Danny admitted softly.

"You doing alright?" Tucker muttered.

"I'm fine. Just want to get us all out of here as quickly as possible," Danny retorted quietly.

The mummies turned back to the group.

"After discussing it, we understand mummification would cause death in a human and very likely a halfa. But we must issue punishment. Therefore we have decided to keep you imprisoned here for fifty years. We understand humans don't live forever. We don't know about halfas. But we have deemed this as a suitable punishment," the female mummy explained. Danny bit his lip.

"Look, it's just a misunderstanding. Can we come to a better conclusion? We really didn't mean any harm or offense by coming here. We needed to have a pit stop on our way towards Aragon's realm," Danny attempted to reason.

"You have broken our laws," the second male mummy pointed out outraged. Danny put up his hands to appease the ghost.

"No, I understand that. I really do. But we truly meant no harm. This is being completely blown out of proportion!" Danny retorted quickly.

"What would you suggest!?" the female mummy demanded angrily.

"Banishment. Make it illegal for me to return. However any humans will be given a warning," Danny suggested. The three ghosts glanced at each other.

"This is so messed up. You're set on justice and so on but Danny didn't _do_ anything! There weren't any signs. How are we meant to know that we did anything wrong?! We didn't even know ghosts were on this island!" Dash exclaimed. Everyone turned to the teen, Danny shaking his head slowly in warning. As a ghost or even a halfa, Danny might be given more leeway. Humans were another story. The mummy ghosts glared at the teen before sharing a look.

"Very well. This time only we will issue a warning. We'll be sure to put up signs informing potential future travellers of our laws. But should you return, any of you, including Phantom, you will be imprisoned in one of our sarcophagi," the female mummy concluded.

"Thank you," Danny muttered, relieved.

"We'll escort you to your vehicle. I assume you have one seeing as humans can't fly last we looked," the second male offered.

 **And misunderstanding semi-resolved.**

 **But Danny is getting really sick. Any idea on what might be wrong with him?**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

Dash obediently returned the torch to its bracket and they left the pyramid, the three mummy ghosts following close behind. They walked in silence, Tucker staying as close as he could to Danny, worried that the halfa was overexerting himself. Danny set a slow speed that the group was happy to accommodate. Suddenly there was a strong breeze across the desert, lifting sand into everyone's faces and in their eyes and mouths. The mummy ghosts were unaffected but the humans were left spluttering to cough up the sand and grit. Danny lapsed into a second coughing fit, with nothing to lean against, his legs collapsed under him.

"Danny?" Tucker called worried when the halfa was still coughing after everyone else had stopped. The halfa's coughs were hacking and wet. Maddie dropped to her son's side. He finally stopped and wheezed for breath, his chest audibly rattling. Maddie helped her son to his feet, frowning in concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked with visible concern. Danny weakly nodded.

"Why's your hand green?" Dash inquired. Danny didn't even have the energy to scowl at the jock. Tucker grabbed Danny's hand and saw it was covered in ghost blood.

"Danny, are you hurt? Did you cut yourself?" Tucker questioned fearfully. Danny shook his head, leaning heavily against his mother.

"This is from coughing?" Tucker whispered. Danny gave a deep sigh, and began coughing again.

"Don't stall," the female mummy ghost ordered impatiently.

"Apologies but we're not stalling. Danny's quite sick. We were only trespassing to look for help for him," Ronald confessed carefully knowing that they were admitting the halfa's vulnerability. The three ghosts shared an astounded look before turning back to the halfa as his latest coughing fit eased.

"How long have you been coughing up blood?" Tucker demanded worriedly.

"Not long. Since I left to help you lot," Danny murmured tiredly. Tucker looked at Maddie with concern for his friend visible on his face.

"Come on sweetie. We'll get back to the Speeder and you can get something to drink and rest," Maddie muttered reassuringly.

"Wait a moment," the female mummy called before they could take more than a step forwards.

"Did you come here for help, Phantom?" the ghost resumed.

"Not exactly," Danny croaked.

"He was sleeping on and off when we landed here. He wasn't involved in the decision making process," Tucker elaborated quickly. The ghost nodded in understanding.

"We are forerunners in ghost medical technology in the Ghost Zone. What are your symptoms? If we recognise the illness we will help. All charges are dropped but we will put those signs up. You may tread in our realm but not into our pyramid. It is our sacred land and it is against our laws to enter," the ghost offered. Danny bobbed his head tiredly.

"Thank you. Do you mind if we get back to the Speeder first?" Danny replied weakly.

"No, we understand. Lead the way," the second male mummy allowed.

Slower than before, they continued the long trek across the desert back to the Speeder. Almost ten minutes later they spotted the Speeder. Samuel, Sam and Rebecca were watching for trouble and cheered with relief as they spotted their missing group members returning. Sam rushed forward before seeing Danny's exhaustion. She gasped and sprinted to his side and ducked under his free arm.

"What happened?" she demanded worriedly, not noticing the three ghosts following. Danny was stumbling along by this point, barely keeping his eyes open. Maddie was convinced that he dropped off for half a step a number of times during the walk. He stumbled, nearly falling, before catching himself and grunting sleepily.

"We'll explain later. Help me get him a seat," Maddie answered on Danny's behalf. Sam nodded and took as much of her boyfriend's weight as she could. Together, Sam and Maddie guided Danny to the Speeder, one-handedly opening the hatch and as gently as possible dropped him into the closest seat.

Maddie rushed to the back of the Speeder and grabbed Danny's water bottle. There was only half left but it would be enough to wet Danny's throat for now. She returned to her son's side and handed it to him, already opened. He gratefully took it and took a large gulp before cringing as he aggravated his sore throat which was steadily hurting more due to the coughing. He took another few sips before handing it back to his mother to return the lid. Sam sat down beside him and suddenly spotted the three mummy ghosts waiting patiently a few feet away.

"What are they doing here?" she demanded.

"They've offered to try and help Danny. The misunderstanding has been settled," Maddie assured her calmly. Sam smiled in relief.

"They want to know what his symptoms are to see if they can treat him," Maddie added, looking at her hopefully. Danny was exhausted and Maddie wouldn't blame him for falling asleep.

"Oh, sure. He told me earlier. Nausea, he's vomited a couple of times. Headaches. Achy muscles. Tiredness and tires easily. Dry throat too," Sam listed for the ghosts.

"As well as coughing and coughing up blood," Tucker added as he joined them, after assuring the others that the mummy ghosts meant no harm anymore and were going to try to help Danny. Sam turned to Tucker with horrified eyes.

"What?!" she exclaimed.

"It started when he came after us," Tucker informed her, glancing at Danny worriedly. He tiredly nodded in affirmation. The second male mummy hummed thoughtfully.

"Are you a core driven ghost?" the ghost inquired. Danny frowned in confusion as everyone looked at him for an answer.

"Core driven ghost? What does that mean?" Danny retorted.

"Are your powers determined by your core? Not all ghosts have control over multiple energies," the ghost explained.

"I have an ice core, and ice powers and ghost sense. Does that answer your question?" Danny replied. The ghost nodded.

"It does. Ice core ghosts are extremely resistant to illness. And unfortunately out of our area of expertise. I'd suggest going to the Far Frozen. They have ice ghost based medicine. But we may be able to ease some your symptoms in the meantime. Are you drinking enough? Eating enough? You need to keep yourself hydrated and keep your energy up," the mummy informed him.

"He hasn't eaten since getting sick. We're not completely sure how long we've been here. But that was hours ago. He's been drinking a lot though," Sam answered. The ghost nodded and turned to the first male mummy.

"Get some medicinal soup," the second male mummy requested. The other male ghost nodded and floated away from the Speeder back to the distant pyramid.

Danny sighed softly and leant back in his seat. Sam took his hand and gave him a concerned look.

"You know, now that I think about it… every time my illness has gotten worse I first changed into Phantom," Danny muttered.

"What do you mean?" Sam questioned in confusion.

"I didn't notice it directly after the crash. But during that wolf pack attack, when I changed, I got sick. When I changed to save you guys, I started coughing. It's just a bit weird," Danny explained softly. Sam, Maddie and Tucker shared surprised looks.

"Maybe your illness only affects your ghost half then," Tucker guessed. Danny shook his head.

"No, I still feel sick when I'm human. Just as bad as when I'm in ghost form. But every time I change it gets worse. It's like the sickness jumps forward when I change," Danny retorted.

"Is that possible?" Maddie asked the mummy ghosts watching and listening the exchange.

"We've never studied or treated halfas. It may be possible. It may be because of the difference in both forms. A warm living body as opposed to a chilled ghostly one. It may be that the illness affects his ghost half but only progresses in his human half, making it that every time he changes the illness worsens," the female ghost mused.

A few minutes later the mummy ghost returned to the Speeder with a bowl of steaming reddish-brown soup. He handed it to Danny who eyed the soup cautiously.

"Er, is this safe for humans to drink? A little ectoplasm is alright but I can't have high concentrations," Danny inquired. The mummy shook his head.

"The last we checked it was safe for humans to drink. It is perfectly safe," the first male mummy assured them. Danny sniffed the soup and his stomach instantly clenched and a wave of nausea hit him.

"I don't think I should eat," Danny mumbled.

"Danny, you heard the ghost. You need to eat," Sam argued gently.

"The soup is meant to be gentle and easy to digest. If you haven't been sick for a few hours then that part of your illness may be finished. At least try it. You need energy and nutrients in order to recover," the second male mummy encouraged.

Danny sighed before relenting and putting the rim of the bowl to his lips and sipped the liquid. The soup was tasty. It tingled the taste buds on his tongue and it seemed to both cool and soothe his sore throat while warming him gently at the same time. He waited a moment to ensure that nothing adverse would happen due to the soup being ghostly in nature. Nothing happened and he slowly drank the soup. It wasn't until he had drunk half the bowl that something happened. Danny suddenly felt an overwhelming reflex in his stomach and knew he was going to be sick. He shoved the bowl into Sam's hands and sprinted out of the Speeder, reaching the end of the vehicle before vomiting. Tucker ran after his friend, patting his back as Danny leant against the vehicle as he retched and vomited up the soup and bile. Tucker glanced at the three mummy ghosts who looked surprised and apologetic.

Gradually Danny's vomiting and retching eased as Tucker helped his worn out friend back to his seat. Maddie handed her son the bottle of water which he sipped slowly, easing the burning acidic after taste in the back of his throat.

"We apologise Phantom. I honestly believed that your vomiting would have passed by now," the second male mummy muttered. Danny tiredly shook his head.

"Not your fault. You were trying to help," Danny mumbled. The three ghosts shared looks before the male mummy ghosts floated back towards the pyramid.

"We're sorry that we were unable to help you. But the Far Frozen should offer you better luck. Make sure to keep drinking water and try to get to the Far Frozen as quickly as possible. This is a violent illness. I'd also recommend remaining in your ghost form. It may not stop the sickness but at least it won't progress violently. Good luck Phantom," the female mummy ghost concluded before leaving.

Sam looked at the bowl in her hands before looking for a container for it so that Frostbite could examine it if need be. Danny weakly twisted the lid back on to the bottle. With Maddie and Tucker's help, Danny moved to the back of the Speeder where he fell asleep and reverted to human form. Maddie turned to Tucker.

"I think it's time for a more experienced Ghost Zone driver to take the wheel. The tour's over. We have to get to the Far Frozen as quickly as possible," Maddie decided. Tucker nodded.

"Now that a ghost has confirmed that this is bad, it's made it a hundred times worse hasn't it?" Tucker remarked. Maddie sighed.

"I had hoped that this wasn't serious. A simple case of ghost man flu. But when Danny started coughing blood… I'm worried," Maddie admitted softly, glancing at her son as he restlessly shifted in his sleep. Tucker nodded.

Maddie left the Speeder to deliver the news to Jack and Jazz and to inform the group that they were heading directly to the Far Frozen to get Danny medical help. Sam decided to drive and Tucker remained navigator for the Speeder. Jazz sat beside her brother, holding a bunch of tissues for him and a second bottle of water in case he needed them. Everyone boarded the Speeder, Sam easily dispelling any concerns of having a teen driving instead of an adult. They flew through the Ghost Zone quickly, Sam using every trick she knew to speed up their flight towards their destination.

Twenty minutes into the flight, Danny woke up to a coughing fit. Jazz quickly handed him a tissue which was soon stained red with blood. Sam didn't slow down her race through the Ghost Zone as everyone turned to watch the halfa worriedly. Exhausted, Danny hardly had a sip of water before falling back asleep. Jazz closed the bottle for her brother and took his hand, hoping for them to reach the Far Frozen as soon as possible.

Maddie and Jack sat nearby and sent concerned glances at their son. Lance, out of respect for Danny, switched off the camera for the first time. Instead the reporter waited for any opportunity to offer his assistance to the family. Paulina, Dash, Kyle and Rebecca watched fearfully. Andrea watched the halfa closer, trying to keep track of how his illness was progressing. Samuel kept his gaze on the window, watching the green world zoom past. Ronald frowned into his lap, deep in thought.

 **This tour isn't going well is it?**

 **Poor Danny. But they're heading back to Frostbite to get help.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Someone mentioned that Tucker and the others could have just walked through the sarcophagi. Humans can't walk through everything in the Ghost Zone. Ghosts can make things impenetrable to humans, e.g. keeping Sam trapped in Aragon's castle. So the sarcophagi were built to be unable to escape from unless opened from the outside, for both ghosts and humans.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11

After two hours of reckless flying, the icy entrance cave of the Far Frozen finally came into view. Sam hardly slowed down the Speeder as she zoomed inside, narrowly dodging long, massive icicles. She sped across the tundra, flinching as Danny began coughing again. She ignored the village boundaries, choosing to land in the village square. Tucker somehow managed to clamber to the back of the Speeder while Sam drove and pulled on a jacket, shoving the box into Samuel's lap to distribute jackets to the others.

Wordlessly, Tucker threw the access hatch open and slammed it shut behind him, running through the snow to find Frostbite or another ghost resident. Jazz handed Danny his water and put a comforting hand on his shoulder as he sipped the water.

"Sweetie, remember what those ghosts said," Maddie called to him. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, wanna wait until Tucker gets someone first though. In case I get worse," Danny muttered tiredly. Maddie bit her lip but understood what Danny meant. The humans were busy shrugging on Fenton coats. Samuel threw one to Jazz and two more to the Fenton parents.

They pulled on the coats and Jazz pulled her brother to his feet.

"Do you need one Danny?" Jack inquired worriedly.

"Normally no. But with me so sick, I'm not sure," Danny admitted quietly. Jazz grabbed the last coat out of the box and throwing it over her arm for him. Tucker ran back to the Speeder, Frostbite hot on his heels. Danny tiredly walked to the Speeder door just as Tucker threw it open.

"Danny, great. Come on Frostbite wants to take you to their medical facility so that they can figure out what's wrong," Tucker informed the halfa. Danny smiled appreciatively.

"Thanks," he murmured and tiredly nodded to Frostbite in greeting.

Jazz rushed after Danny and Tucker as they followed Frostbite, nudging Danny's arm meaningfully. He rolled his eyes.

"Wait a sec Frostbite. We came across some mummy ghosts that suggested that I should stay in my ghost form as much as possible while sick as every time I change it gets worse. So, fair warning," Danny informed the ghost as Sam, Jack and Maddie caught up to them, the Goth having given Rebecca her spare boots already. Danny nervously reached inside himself and pulled out his ghost half, changing in a flash of light.

He groaned as he was overcome with dizziness. His headache got worse and he lapsed into a coughing fit. The snow was stained with green blood. Suddenly he retched and vomited a mixture of bile, water and blood. Jazz helped her brother to his feet once his coughing ceased and, leaning on his older sister, Danny stumbled through the snow after Frostbite as he lead the way to the medical facility. They entered an icy cave and descended down a flight of carved out stairs into a large cave underneath the village filled with high tech equipment.

The room had three large de-icing chambers as well as large computer screens and control consoles. There were a few chairs dotted around the room also.

"This is our core related emergency room. You may recognise the de-icing chambers, great one," Frostbite explained, sensing questions, before leading the way through the room and into an adjoining room filled with beds and cabinets filled with medicines and equipment. To one side there was a bench with medical equipment and lab equipment such as microscopes. Frostbite led them to a bed near the lab equipment.

"And this is our recovery room. Please, take a seat great one. I'll fetch one of our best physicians," Frostbite prompted before leaving the room through a side door.

"How do you feel Danny?" Jazz inquired softly. Danny rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"Like crud," he croaked, his throat much worse. Sam perched beside him and took his hand in hers.

"We're here now. You're gonna get all the attention you need here and you're going to be fine," she whispered, intertwining her fingers with his. Danny nodded tiredly. Tucker found the nearest bed and sat down to wait for the doctor's verdict on his friend. Tucker found that Frostbite's terms didn't strike fear in his heart. Medical facility somehow didn't equal hospital in Tucker's mind and nor did physician for doctor or nurse. Maddie and Jack anxiously stood nearby waiting for the doctor to come.

A few minutes later and Frostbite returned with another Far Frozen ghost. This ghost had longer, shaggier fur. And his ragged clothes were green instead of the usual civilian brown. The ghost looked old and haggard and yet he gave Danny one of the warmest, gentlest smiles Danny had ever seen.

"Great one. I hear you are feeling unwell. I will do my best to cure your aliment as quickly as possible. Now, let me take your temperature. We have normal readings on file from your previous visit to the medical facility when your ice core activated," the ghost informed them all and popped a thermometer in Danny's mouth. Danny held the thermometer in his mouth obediently while the ghost fetched a few other implements. Frostbite quietly made his leave knowing he couldn't help further.

The ghost returned and read the result. The ghost frowned.

"Hmm, a little high. I need to take a core reading. Please stay still, you may feel some discomfort," the ghost commented as he put down the thermometer and picked up a long glowing stick with a small loop on the end, a data read out screen at the other end. The ghost held the looped end to Danny's chest and placed a paw on the teen's chest. Danny gasped in surprise as he felt a soft pulse of cold spread through his chest. The ghost glanced up at the teen before resuming. The ghost pulled away his paw and pressed a single finger on the centre of Danny's chest. Danny groaned as a sharper pulse of cold filled his chest. The ghost nodded and pushed the loop where he previously had his finger. He tapped a button on the control panel beside the screen on the other end and the humans watched in shock as the loop began to sink into Danny's body. Danny blinked in surprise as he felt the loop sinking through his chest but felt no pain. It was more like the loop was being dragged firmly but not painfully across his skin and yet he could tell it was inside him.

Danny shivered violently as he felt the loop enter his ice core and the ghost stopped the stick sinking, tapping a couple of buttons on the control panel. A few seconds later, a soft beep emitted from the screen and the ghost, while supporting the stick still imbedded in Danny's chest, read the screen before frowning worriedly.

"Much too high," the ghost muttered and tapped a few buttons and gently pulled the stick out of Danny, who shuddered involuntarily.

"That was weird," he murmured.

"Apologies great one, getting a core reading can cause discomfort," the ghost apologised immediately before grabbing a stethoscope.

"Change to human so that I can check your breathing rate and heart rate are normal," the ghost commanded kindly. Danny obeyed and tried to ignore the muttered comments that both were a little slow. His breathing was especially wheezy too.

"Pick your preferred form," the ghost muttered as he stepped away. Nervously, Danny changed back to Phantom before sighing in relief that his illness didn't suddenly get a lot worse. Although the sigh triggered a coughing fit. Jazz handed him a tissue which he gratefully took. The ghost returned and with a slight nod, resumed his examination. He studied Danny's ghostly eye colour, aura, vibrancy of his ghostly hair. The ghost concluded that all were slightly dulled, a common symptom of ghost illness. The ghost took some ghost blood from Danny, putting it to one side. Then the ghost asked Danny to change to human and he took a human blood sample. He checked Danny's pale complexion and bloodshot eyes also. Then the ghost asked for a urine sample which Tucker took Danny to the nearest bathroom for. Danny stumbled as he walked and lapsed into another coughing fit on the way back. He remained in ghost form as much as possible as per the mummy ghost's instructions.

The ghost took the three samples and said he had to perform some tests and that Danny should rest until he had the results. Danny happily laid down on the bed with Sam sitting beside him, clutching his hand. He didn't sleep though. He kept up a soft, croaky conversation with his family and girlfriend. Tucker slipped out to check on the tour group that they'd more or less abandoned at the Speeder. He found them sitting in the Speeder with the door open. Ronald was the first to notice Tucker's approach.

"Any news?" he called, alerting the others to the techno-geek's presence. Tucker shook his head.

"No. Not yet. The ghost looking at Danny has to do some tests. Are you all okay? Sorry for just running off," Tucker answered. Ronald and a number of the others shook their heads.

"No need. But if they need a little help, I'd be happy to," Andrea offered. Tucker smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, I'll pass on the message but I think everything's under control for now," Tucker replied.

"Ah, there's the great one's vessel," a loud voice commented. Tucker turned to see two Far Frozen ghosts walking towards the Speeder.

"Can I help you?" Tucker called, knowing that the others were nervous around ghosts.

"Frostbite ordered us to take care of the humans while the great one is treated. Come!" the first ghost explained. Tucker grinned.

"Thanks so much. Oh, also the Speeder needs some repairs. Could you help us out?" Tucker replied. The ghosts nodded.

"We'll inform our mechanics once we bring you to somewhere warmer and more comfortable," the second ghost offered.

Tucker convinced the group that they could trust these ghosts and together they followed the ghosts to an underground cave nearby the medical facility that was warm enough for them to shed their jackets. The large cave had plenty of seats, tables and a buffet table accompanied with numerous fires dotted around the room. The ghosts left and Tucker returned to the medical facility to check on his friend and inform them where the tour group had been moved to and that the Speeder would be repaired. The physician was still running tests on the ghost blood sample.

Jazz gave Danny his water bottle to sip from but he instantly felt the need to vomit. Jack quickly found his son a bucket in case it was needed. Danny refused to drink more as he knew if he did he would need the bucket. The group of five humans shared worried looks but said nothing. They just had to be patient. They were where they needed to be, the ghost would figure out what was wrong with Danny and cure it.

Both parents watched the ghost perform his tests and grew concerned as the ghost frowned and muttered worriedly under his breath to himself. He repeated experiments and examined the samples under the microscope numerous times. Something about the results was clearly upsetting him. He left the room and got another physician with similar ragged clothes and caring demeanour to check his results. The second ghost seemed just as confused and upset at the results. They took another ghost blood sample from Danny and compared it to the first sample taken.

"Is something wrong?" Maddie asked fearfully. Both ghost muttered a barely audible apology and half-hearted assurance that everything was fine.

Tucker offered to get Andrea, repeating her offer to help as a human nurse but both ghosts decided it was unnecessary. Tucker decided to check on the humans anyway and crossed the snowy street to the cave entrance where the others were. Paulina was refusing to eat, saying she was too worried about Danny. Dash and Kyle nibbled on a few snacks and attempted to cheer her up by telling her that Danny was going to be fine. Andrea glanced at Tucker and gave him a curt nod before turning back to Samuel and Lance. Ronald was with Rebecca, obviously trying to calm the young woman. Tucker did a quick round of the room, grabbing a plate of food for Sam and the Fentons in the medical facility.

Tucker was just heading back when Ronald rushed after him, sending Rebecca to join the other adults who were talking softly, trying to keep their minds off the situation.

"Sorry, but I was hoping to speak with Jack and Maddie. Would it be alright if I came with you? It's important," Ronald whispered, glancing back at the others behind them.

"Uh, sure. I guess. Um, follow me," Tucker agreed uncertainly. Tucker led the middle-aged man across the snowy street and down into the medical facility. Tucker offered the group there the plate of snacks but no one took anything. A third physician had joined the two in looking at Danny's blood samples.

Ronald quietly pulled the worried parents to one side.

"I'm sorry to ask right now. I know it's bad timing. But, I've been thinking. I can't help but think everything that's happened… it's not an accident," Ronald admitted quietly.

"What do you mean Ronald?" Jack pressed with a frown.

"The map going missing. The crash. The wolf pack, maybe. This tour, if I didn't know better, is cursed. And I don't believe in curses. I think someone is sabotaging this tour," Ronald explained. Maddie and Jack shared concerned looks.

"We have noticed that the Speeder's crash was… suspicious. The door and engine aren't connected so that was two malfunctions at once. We could understand one malfunction. Accidents happen and we haven't knocked all the bugs out of the new Speeder. But two. At the same time. We had thought it wasn't an accident," Maddie confessed. Ronald nodded.

"If you'd permit, I'll investigate it," he offered. Jack opened his mouth to say it wasn't necessary when the first physician called them back over.

"We don't really know what to say. The great one's results… they've revealed something horrible," the ghost began with a mix of sadness and anger. Danny sat up with Sam's help.

"What's wrong with me? Is it some rare disease or something?" Danny inquired croakily. The ghosts shook their heads. They glanced at each other, sweeping an apologetic glance over the seven people waiting for an answer.

"You're not sick. This isn't some illness. You've been poisoned," the third physician told them.

 **What!?**

 **Be honest, did anyone suspect that?**

 **How was Danny poisoned?**

 **What about the theory that the tour is being sabotaged?**

 **Any suspects?**

 **Let me know your thoughts.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

"What?" Sam whispered fearfully. Danny froze and blinked in shock.

"How can that be?" Jazz inquired stiffly, her voice thick with numerous emotions. Jack turned to Ronald.

"Do it," Jack commanded. Ronald nodded, stunned by the revelation.

"Do what?" Tucker interjected before the detective could leave.

"I'm going to investigate who wants this tour to fail," Ronald answered.

"Wait…! Wait! Wait! This could be a big misunderstanding," Sam exclaimed hopefully.

"We checked our results numerous times. That's why we took a second blood sample. There is no doubt," the second physician replied.

"I bet it was that ghost drink," Maddie growled.

"Mom, I didn't get sick until after the crash. That was like half an hour after," Danny muttered.

"This is a particularly aggressive poison. The culprit will not be the drink if that's right," the third physician added.

"Maybe… maybe it was during the crash then. We fell in a forest. Maybe you scratched yourself and it got infected or something," Sam offered.

"I'm sorry, but this is not a natural poison. It is synthesised. It targets ectoplasm and other ghostly related biology but it appears to have been spread by the great one's human circulatory system," the first physician informed them.

"That explains why changing caused the illness- _symptoms_ to worsen or increase. And why they didn't disappear when you changed to human," Jazz remarked. Danny nodded numbly.

"You can cure it, right?" Maddie asked worriedly. The ghosts glanced at each other.

"We may be able to synthesise an antidote. But it will take time and we don't have the original poison to use. The poison in the great's one body is too diffused by now and impure for us to extract and use," the first physician answered.

"No! You can't just give up!" Sam shouted.

"We're not. But right now, we're stumped," the third physician confessed.

"Yes, we have never seen anything like this. The poison is so advanced and tailored perfectly to a halfa's biology," the second agreed.

"How long?" Danny rasped. Everyone turned to him.

"How long until what sweetie?" Maddie whispered.

"How long until this poison kills me?" Danny elaborated, fixing his gaze on the first physician.

"How long ago did you start feeling unwell?" the first physician inquired softly.

"About twelve hours, maybe a little more," Tucker answered quietly, doing the math quickly in his head. The ghost glanced at each other and had a quick hushed conversation. They turned back to the halfa.

"As long as you remain in ghost form, the poison's spread will be impeded. As long as you remain in your ghost form, maybe another twelve hours. At best. At worst… maybe six," the third physician told them. Sam squeezed Danny's hand fearfully.

"I'm gonna kill who did this," Jack hissed under his breath. Maddie took his hand in hers, tears in her eyes but with a stern expression that told him that she felt the same. Ronald glanced at the group, lingering longest on Danny who looked shocked before slowly bringing his girlfriend into a hug, fear hung in his eyes but he swallowed it down and set his jaw. Ronald turned to the ghost physicians.

"Is there another way? A ghost remedy or item that could heal Danny? If I've learned anything about ghosts, it's that if you look there's always something. I mean there's a ghost for boxes! There has to be a ghost for healing or something," Ronald reasoned. The three ghost glanced at each other before nodding uncertainly.

"There's a legend among us ghosts that dedicate themselves to medicine. There is a ghost of illness and healing. But it's an ancient ghost, even more than Clockwork. It, according to legend, is animalistic. But it hasn't been seen for millennia," the first physician admitted quietly.

"Well we'll use the Infi-map," Sam decided pulling away from Danny gently to look at the ghosts. The ghosts shook their heads nervously.

"You don't understand. This ghost, according to legend, is vicious. Only the desperate look for it and many never return from the search. Legend doesn't tell exactly what this ghost is like but it's the venom that heals. But like we said, it's a story. There's no guarantee it's real," the third physician interjected.

"I don't care. If it's real, it's a chance. You work on making an antidote, but I'm going to get that venom," Sam retorted sternly.

"And I'm going to help you," Maddie quickly volunteered.

"No. If anyone's going on a suicide mission, it'll be me. I'm the one that's sick. I'm not going to let you get yourselves killed over a hope," Danny interrupted before lapsing into a coughing fit.

"Dude, you're way too sick to do that kind of stuff," Tucker muttered worriedly.

"He is right great one. You must rest. Exerting yourself will do nothing but tire you and make yourself weaker. The weaker you get the less time we have," the second physician agreed. Danny collapsed on his bed tiredly as he stopped coughing, dropping the bloody tissue in the bucket beside his bed.

"We'll be careful. We'll be back. You may have done some amazing things Danny, but so have we," Sam assured him.

"Yeah dude, remember how I became a pharaoh. And Sam apparently became some ghost plant queen thing. We snapped you out of Freakshow's spell. Sam made you forget everything with that wish," Tucker listed.

"Tucker! We're trying to reassure him!" Sam snapped. Danny chuckled weakly.

"Just… don't do anything stupid. I don't want to lose you, any of you, over something like this," Danny mumbled, sweeping a worried glance over his loved ones.

"Danny, I'm going to find who did this to you. I promise you. They will not get away with this," Ronald vowed. Danny smiled gratefully.

"I'll stay here. I can help Ronald more than I can help you guys," Jazz decided, glancing at Ronald who nodded in gratitude.

"Will you be okay with me gone?" Sam asked Danny softly giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I'd rather you didn't, but yeah. I've got Jazz here," Danny replied. Sam nodded and slowly pulled away and left with Maddie, Tucker and Jack who gave him one last concerned look. No one dared say goodbye. They would be back with the healing venom. They'd be back in time and this will all fade into a horrible memory. Saying goodbye would sound like giving up and they hadn't given up yet. The three ghostly physicians began to work on making an antidote.

Ronald and Jazz watched the four experienced ghost hunters leave before turning back to Danny. Ronald causally pulled out a notebook and pencil from his trouser pocket. He always had them with him. He preferred to write with a pen but while investigating he could often end up outside while raining. Pens could run out also, pencils didn't.

"Danny, I know that you're tired. But I need to question you to understand how this started. Are you up for it?" Ronald began. Danny nodded.

"Yeah. I'm up for it. What do you want to know?" Danny agreed.

"Are you enemies with anyone on this tour?" Ronald asked.

"Er, not really. Dash has bullied me for years but that changed when he found out about my ghost side. Now he's trying really hard to be my friend. Paulina… you've probably heard, she's kinda convinced I have a split personality and that we're destined to be together, her and my ghost half. But everyone else… I don't think I spoke to them before this. Kyle goes to my school, year above I think but we never spoke to each other," Danny explained. Ronald noted down what Danny was saying.

"Did you say anything to Paulina to encourage her or cause anguish?" Ronald inquired. Danny shook his head.

"Not that I know of. She-er… she kind of came on to me during the tour. After I started feeling sick. Cornered me and kissed me. I think she was confused though. She said something about keeping it secret from Sam and that she didn't want to get back to the Speeder yet either," Danny recalled.

"She kissed you!" Jazz exclaimed. Danny nodded.

"Sam knows. She saw it and slapped Paulina. I collapsed trying to stop their argument getting worse," Danny replied.

Ronald hummed thoughtfully. He scribbled down a note about the incident before turning back to Danny.

"Do you have a split personality? And if you do, how do they feel about each other?" Ronald asked.

"Wait, you think Danny poisoned himself!?" Jazz interjected in surprise.

"Jazz, it's fine. No, I don't have a split personality. People think I do because I gave myself a second name but it's… uh well this is kind of getting into ghost stuff. When a ghost is formed, most take a new name. Death changes you. Many ghosts see afterlife as a new, fresh start. It's natural to change your name. It also helps some ghosts dissociate their life and afterlife, making themselves see who they used to be and who they are now. During my first couple of months, I worked a lot on ghost instinct. New ghosts find controlling their powers difficult. Usually they go to the Ghost Zone until they learn to control themselves. I didn't really have that luxury. I also got a little obsessive about things. It wasn't really noticeable, but I did feel it necessary to do certain things. I don't have an obsession per say, but I do have an affinity to protect people and serve out justice. It was fine and sorted itself out over time. But by becoming half ghost I have changed. But to hide my identity, I tried to hide those changes in my human form. So I had two images. The laid back slacker that slept through class and failed school, terrified of ghosts and the biggest klutz in America. Most of my clumsiness was actually due to having little control of my powers. And the confident, strong leader type hero. Both are me, but in different forms I make different traits shine out," Danny explained.

Ronald and Jazz blinked in surprise. Ronald scribbled down as much as he could, intrigued.

"You never told me that stuff before," Jazz pointed out. Danny shrugged.

"You never really asked. It's kind of embarrassing talking about that stuff," Danny replied.

"Why Phantom? Why not think of something more exotic?" Ronald wondered aloud. Danny chuckled before lapsing into a coughing fit. Jazz helped her brother sit up in order to cough better and handed him a tissue. Once he recovered, he laid back down.

"I took a liking to the name. Tucker and Sam only suggested it as a joke when I asked for ideas on a new ghost name. There were others but that one just stuck with me. But it wasn't really until the press started calling me Inviso-Bill that I decided that would be my name. Danny Phantom just felt right to me," Danny confessed with a slight rattle in his chest. Ronald smiled gently before he returned to the matter at hand.

"What about Dash? Could he be resentful towards you for not accepting his friendship?" Ronald asked. Danny shrugged.

"I've never said I'll never be friends with him. But I have to admit I do try to avoid him when I can. It's a little weird having your old bully fawning over you like an excitable kid. I guess I wouldn't mind being friends with him, if he just stopped being so creepy about it," Danny explained. Ronald nodded slowly in understanding.

"Even though he bullied you?" Ronald pointed out. Danny shrugged.

"I'm a forgiving person. I haven't really been afraid of Dash for a long time now. He was more annoying than scary for me since I got my powers. And he's apologised. More times than I can count," Danny replied.

"Did you have any disagreements with anyone on this tour?" Ronald inquired. Danny shook his head.

"I have said a few things about things Rebecca has done. You know like at the beginning about us all being equal. I kind of noticed how she was a little full of herself and snobby," Danny confessed.

"Ronald, no offence. I mean I don't want to tell you how to do your job. But this poison is specially tailored to target a halfa. It wouldn't be something anyone would have access to. Surely something that spur of the moment like getting annoyed at Danny for a comment on the tour, wouldn't be valid. This had to be planned. Pre-meditated," Jazz interjected. Ronald nodded.

"I'm just trying to determine possible suspects and motives," Ronald explained.

"Can you tell me how you started to feel sick? Anything at all might help us," Ronald inquired. Danny nodded.

"I started to feel weirdly tired on the flight back to the Speeder after the crash. I couldn't explain it. I got hit on the head by the toolbox during the crash and passed out. I woke up, found the toolbox, got my bearings and then changed forms and grabbed Paulina and starting flying towards the Speeder. Normally I'd be fine. I mean my ghost form is super strong. I didn't understand it, so I landed and walked the rest, but I was still tiring unusually fast," Danny recalled. Ronald nodded and took note of what Danny was saying.

"During the crash itself, can you recount what happened?" Ronald requested.

"You were there," Jazz pointed out in confusion.

"Yes, but hearing it from Danny's point of view can shed light on what happened. Things were crazy during the crash," Ronald explained. Jazz nodded in understanding.

"I had a drink in that ghost restaurant. Before you say anything, it was perfectly safe. I checked and double checked. So I had my eyes shut to start with, the drink makes you relax. Then the Speeder jerked unexpectedly. I asked if something was wrong and my parents said they just had to make an emergency landing and repair the fuel tank. So I went to the back to find the toolbox," Danny recalled and Ronald made a note of everything Danny was saying. Danny cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Do you want some water Danny?" Jazz offered, grabbing the bottle ready. Danny shook his head.

"Are you sure?" Jazz pressed.

"If I drink, I know I'm gonna be sick," Danny retorted. Jazz sighed and returned the bottle to where she found it.

"The Speeder tilted unexpectedly and I fell out of the storage cupboard and fell on someone. I can't remember who. I apologised and got up. I tried to get to the front to see what I could do but then the door swung open. I tried to shut it but it was jammed. Then it tilted again and I fell over, fell in front of someone else when I saw Paulina fall out of the Speeder. I told Sam not to try and shut the door because I knew she'd try and might end up falling out as well and I went after Paulina. Like I said I got hit on the head by the toolbox. I caught Paulina and started blacking out from getting hit on the head," Danny resumed.

"What happened when you woke up?" Ronald pressed. Danny's pale face tinged lightly green.

"Uh, I kind of woke up on Paulina. She was pinned underneath me and couldn't get out," Danny confessed. Ronald nodded.

"I think that's all I need. But if I need more answers I'll come back. Take it easy," Ronald concluded.

 **So, a plan to find a cure and the investigation for the culprit behind the sabotage and poison begins.**

 **Any guesses who's responsible?**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Check out my website for the poll for the next fanfic I post. Make sure not to miss your say.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

Meanwhile Sam and Tucker took the lead and the group of four made their way out of the medical facility. They hugged themselves as they left the sheltered, warmer cave, tugging their coats around themselves.

"The tour group is in there. Are we telling them what we found out?" Tucker asked. Maddie pursed her lips in thought.

"We should tell them that we're leaving. But I think we should let Ronald and Jazz decide when they find out. For all we know we might be revealing something they rely on later," Maddie muttered.

"We'll tell them what Danny thought, he has a rare illness and we have to go and find the cure," Sam suggested. Jack sighed but agreed.

"Personally I'm finding it hard to not go in there and threaten them all. I know what Ronald thinks. It was one of them that poisoned my son. Stole that map and sabotaged our Speeder. We protected that person, that monster, from those wolves. Fed them. That scum!" Jack growled protectively. Maddie put a reassuring hand on his arm.

"I know Jack. And I agree. But if Ronald is going to find whoever did this, we have to do our part. Besides, there are seven people in there. Not all of them are guilty," Maddie assured her husband.

"Can we be sure that Ronald is innocent?" Sam mumbled softly. The four of them glanced at each other.

"We have to trust someone. And Ronald is offering to help us. Also, he was the one to point out that Danny's illness wouldn't be caused by that ghost drink and he came to ask us if we wanted him to investigate who was sabotaging the tour. I doubt he'd do all that if he wanted to hurt Danny," Maddie reasoned.

"Plus, I saw his face when we heard the truth. He looked as horrified and shocked as the rest of us," Tucker added. Sam nodded.

"I guess. Jazz is smart and knows how to read people, if he does turn out to be dirty, she'll figure it out," Sam concluded. The others nodded in agreement.

Tucker led the way into the cave and the four ghost hunters quickly grab everyone's attention. They jumped to their feet and rushed over. Sam and Maddie hating themselves for watching for the slowest person in order to scrutinise them as the culprit.

"Is Danny gonna be alright?" Paulina asked, pointedly not looking at Sam.

"Yeah, we've hardly heard anything except a ghost is helping him," Dash added.

"Danny's… Danny's really sick. It's a rare disease that only has one cure. But we're going to go and find it," Sam announced, it was the hardest lie she ever had to say. All she wanted to do was demand to know who hurt him. Who poisoned him? But Maddie was right. Ronald might want to be more discrete and if they told the group, it could ruin any chance of finding the culprit.

"It's not in the Far Frozen so we're going to have to leave in the Spectre Speeder to get it. We'll be back as fast as possible," Jack resumed through gritted teeth.

"Do you want any help?" Samuel offered.

"No, it's best that we only take experienced ghost hunters. We can't afford any slip ups or hold ups. But thanks for the offer," Tucker answered quickly.

"You're taking Jack Fenton?" Rebecca pointed out with a frown. Jack clenched his fists angrily and his nostrils flared. He could take people not taking him seriously. He understood. But not when his son was dying because of someone in the room he was in. It was hard enough to rein in his anger without being made fun of.

"Danny is my son! I will not just sit here when he needs me!" Jack thundered.

"Jack knows our technology better than anyone. And he knows his stuff. We would be grateful for you to not tease or belittle my husband when our family is in the middle of a crisis. Danny is extremely ill," Maddie interjected heatedly. Rebecca shuffled in embarrassed, mumbling a subdued apology.

"Jazz will be here. And Frostbite and his people can be trusted to care for you all. Be courteous though in return. This is their home. You are guests. We all are and they are being kind enough to treat Danny for us. Keep that in mind," Sam concluded before the group of four left, noticing Ronald and Jazz on their way out of the medical facility as they left.

"Why aren't you with Danny?" Maddie inquired worriedly.

"Ronald wants to question everyone about the crash. Establish who saw what. Who's telling the truth and so on. You didn't tell them that Danny was poisoned right?" Jazz answered.

"No, we said it was a rare disease and we had to leave to get the cure. Was that right?" Tucker informed them. Ronald nodded.

"Yes. I don't want that to be spread around yet. I'm hoping that the culprit will confess by accident," Ronald confirmed.

"And I offered to give my help as a training psychologist to spot liars or nervous people," Jazz explained her presence.

"Danny was alright with that?" Maddie asked. Jazz nodded.

"Frostbite's in there right now. Said that the Speeder is in the village square being repaired. The doctors suggested that Danny sleep but he told them that he usually reverts to human which they want to avoid. He might have to keep awake until we can cure him," Jazz told them. The four hunters nodded in understanding before taking their leave.

They walked in silence through the village and soon reached the Speeder. Sam and Tucker hopped on board and started sorting through everything inside, putting overnight bags outside, asking a Far Frozen ghost to take them to the cave where the humans were. They did a quick inventory through their weapons and selected which ones should be used by who. In the meantime, Maddie and Jack went to the mechanics and checked on the progress. The ghosts were fast workers, having already repaired the major damages to the engine and getting the vehicle back into shape, able to hit its top speeds again. They'd also repaired the door which had started sticking since becoming jammed open. They shut the engine panel and Tucker asked for the Infi-map. A ghost ran off and brought it to them, expressing concern for its safe return. Tucker promised to do his best before Maddie and Jack jumped on board and they all gathered around.

Tucker opened the map and bit his lip uncertainly.

"I wonder if it can bring us and the Speeder to that ghost," Sam muttered.

"I doubt it Sam. And we need the Speeder for facing this ghost. Personally I prefer fighting on solid ground and we dunno if this ghost has an island or door or what," Tucker remarked. Sam nodded in agreement.

"So we can't use the words "take me" or "take us". What about "show us the way to"?" Sam mused.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," Maddie interjected in confusion.

"Oh, when we first used the Infi-map we accidently said "take us home" and before we knew it, the map took us back to Fenton Works. The map can take you to wherever you ask. To whatever you want. It's sacred to the people of the Far Frozen," Sam explained as Tucker was holding the map. Maddie and Jack blinked in surprise.

"Show us the way to the ghost of healing and sickness," Tucker commanded. A dotted green line drew itself on the map creating a path through the Ghost Zone to a distant empty region. Sam ran to the driver's seat and started the engine. Jack and Maddie scrambled into some seats and Tucker dropped into the seat beside Sam to navigate. The Speeder sped away from the Far Frozen and back into the wide expanse of the Ghost Zone.

"I guess this is how Danny felt when we got infected by ecto-acne," Sam remarked softly after ten minutes of silence.

"Yeah. I can see why he went to Clockwork now. I guess you never know that kind of desperation until you feel it," Tucker mumbled.

"What are you two talking about?" Jack inquired.

"You're not gonna like the story," Sam warned. Jack pursed his lips.

"It's about him isn't it?" Jack realised.

"Yeah," Sam confirmed. Jack sighed loudly.

"Go ahead, I promise not to get angry," Jack replied.

"Eco-acne isn't contagious. But Vlad made an infectious strain to make us sick like him. He wanted Danny to want to cure him and to do that meant making us just as sick," Tucker began, pausing for Jack's usual outburst of cursing but it didn't come.

"So, we got sick and you took all three of us to Fenton Works for treatment. Danny was scared. He thought he was going to lose us. So he did the only thing he thought he could. He went to Clockwork, ghost of time. He figured that if Vlad never had his accident when you guys were in college then he would never have infected us with ecto-acne. He convinced Clockwork to send him back. He prevented the accident and made an alternate timeline. In the timeline, Mr Fenton got hit by the prototype portal and became half-ghost. Vlad married Mrs Fenton instead. But according to Danny, she wasn't happy. Vlad stopped her doing her ghost research and said Mr Fenton hated her," Tucker resumed. He nervously glanced back at the man, while Jack was angry, he wasn't livid.

"Anyway, Danny said he bumped into Mr Fenton first who, while angry and confused, did explain what happened. Danny then went to find his mom and explained to her everything. Vlad tried to stop him but… well things got chaotic but long story short alternate Mrs Fenton opened the portal for Danny to get back to Clockwork. Clockwork reversed what Danny did and because he saw what happened he saw that the impurities were consistent with soda. He went back to you guys and told you what he found out," Tucker concluded.

"Why can't we do that now then? Go back and warn Danny. Or-or go back and warn us against the tour," Maddie inquired.

"Because Clockwork only interferes with the timeline in extreme circumstances," Sam answered.

"Doesn't our son's life count as extreme?!" Jack growled.

"No. Unfortunately not. Clockwork is a friend but he's only allowed to do so much. If Danny's… Danny's death-" Sam broke off unable to continue.

"If it caused a ripple in the time stream or endangered the world, then maybe Clockwork could get involved. He'll come to us if we need him," Tucker took over, glancing at the map and muttering a quick direction to Sam.

Jack took Maddie's hand to reassure her and give her support. She squeezed his hand in return.

"How did Danny meet Clockwork?" Maddie asked, glad for the distraction.

"Long story that's not really ours to tell. Sorry Mrs Fenton," Sam replied evenly. Maddie frowned and glanced at her husband who looked equally confused and slightly hurt. Tucker glanced over his shoulder and saw the parents' expressions.

"No offense, really. It's just not something Danny likes to talk about. Clockwork went to Danny, or rather brought Danny to him, for something really really big and it was hard on him. So we don't talk about it," Tucker elaborated.

"But we'll tell you other stuff," Sam offered.

Maddie sighed but decided to respect her son's wishes. She glanced at her husband. He looked tense and upset. It was probably how they all felt. If they failed, it could be Danny's life.

"I think we all need something uplifting," Maddie remarked.

"Hmm, uplifting story?" Sam repeated thoughtfully.

"What about the time that Danny split himself using the Ghost Catcher?" Tucker offered. Sam chuckled.

"Yeah, that's one of the funnier stories," Sam agreed.

"Great. Right, Danny was trying to perfect duplication. But one weekend, Danny promised us a weekend of nothing but fun. No ghosts, no training and no homework. At least that was the plan until Technus attacked," Tucker began, pausing to give Sam directions to follow.

"You mean Danny accidently released him," Sam corrected.

"Whatever, anyway, we were running late for a movie so we asked Mr Fenton to drive us. Technus possessed the Fenton Assault vehicle and he got away. Danny was ticked because he promised us a weekend of fun and now he had to go track down Technus. We said we didn't mind, but Danny was really upset. So he got the Ghost Catcher and split himself. One Danny was human and was a normal teenager. Messy, lazy, focused on fun. We called him Fun Danny. One Danny was a ghost and was a hero through and through. Confident, overly happy and bright. He even grabbed a bedsheet and made it into a cape," Tucker resumed. Sam snorted.

"He tried to get me to be his side kick and wear bright primary colours," Sam added.

Maddie and Jack listened to the story with soft smiles as the two teens at the front told of how different Fun Danny was and how Technus ran away from Hero Danny all night as he charged up. Both halves then worked together to beat Technus in the harbour off a pier. They discovered that only Hero Danny had his powers and they tried to fix it by passing both halves through the Ghost Catcher but it made it worse making both Dannys into halfas again but with access to only certain powers. Meaning only one could fly and only one could turn intangible and so on. By the end, all four ghost hunters had cheered up slightly.

Two hours into the flight, worrying all present as they had to fly back yet and they wanted to keep to the six hour deadline in case the ghosts' math was off or something happened, they reached the area the map directed them to. They stood up, arming themselves with the small arsenal of weapons on board. By now they had all shrugged off their coats and the Speeder was pleasantly warm. They scanned the Ghost Zone around them nervously.

"I hope we find this ghost quickly and that it's not too hard to get its venom," Sam muttered.

Twenty minutes of searching and they found what they were looking for. A massive snake, longer than most trains, coiled into a bundle, resting. They knew it was the ghost of healing and illness because it gave off a feeling similar to hospitals. Tucker was softly whimpering and pointlessly mumbling about models. The snake felt sick but also soothing as though being near it would ease any pain you could possibly have. The group gulped nervously and flew the Speeder a little closer. The snake's eyes snapped open to reveal burning red eyes that glared angrily at the vehicle. It flicked its tongue at them before shrieking territorially, baring its many curved, sharp teeth dripping with venom.

"Um, quick question… how are we gonna get that venom?" Sam inquired with a slight frightened tremor in her voice.

 **Well they found the ghost.**

 **Just in case anyone's wondering, they found it so easily because of the Infimap but imagine trying to find the ghost without a map. Also… they have to get the venom before they can go back to Danny.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Don't forget to cast your vote in the poll on my website. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

Jazz and Ronald watched Sam, Tucker, Maddie and Jack walk off towards the village square. Ronald spotted a ghost walking by and called the ghost over.

"Sorry to distract you, but is there anywhere I could use to have a private word with a couple of people? Preferably close by," the detective inquired hopefully.

"Yes, of course. That hut is unused right now. You're welcome to utilise it," the ghost answered and gestured to a hut a little way up the snowy street. Ronald stepped inside, calling a quick thanks to the ghost. Inside it was a lot smaller than the other rooms the humans and Danny were currently using but it was perfect for Ronald's needs. Small. A small stack of five chairs in a corner and two tables, one stacked upside down on the other.

Together Jazz and Ronald turned over the table and set it on the ground a short distance away, near the centre of the room. They also placed three chairs, two on one side and one on the other, around the table.

"Alright, I'm going to tell them that I'm looking into the Speeder crash. It is suspicious and I believe the culprit for Danny's condition used the crash as an opportunity to poison him. It's a starting point. So try not to give away the game," Ronald informed her. Jazz nodded.

"How are we doing this?" she inquired nervously. It was one thing to psychoanalyse her brother, his friends and a few classmates, it was another to try and figure out who wanted her brother dead.

"I'll question them, you'll pose as a Fenton representative. Feel free to throw in some tech speak if you know it. And if you notice something, point it out for me. But before we start, I need to ask you a couple of questions," Ronald replied.

Jazz blinked in surprise. Ronald pulled out his notebook and pencil.

"Do you have any enemies that would want to hurt you by targeting your brother?" Ronald asked. Jazz gasped.

"You really think that's a possibility!? No, I-I don't think so," Jazz retorted. Ronald shrugged.

"I can't be sure of motive until I find who's responsible. Now, since the others aren't here. Do you know if your parents have any enemies?" Ronald resumed. Jazz shook her head slowly.

"People see them as a nuisance, I know that. Sam's parents don't like them. But I can't think of anyone that would want to hurt them like that. Well… there was one person. Vlad Masters. But as you know, he's lost in space right now," Jazz answered thoughtfully. Ronald nodded.

"Is it possible that Masters could have returned?" Ronald wondered. Jazz bit her lip.

"You're better off asking Danny. But… I wouldn't rule it out. Although Danny has a ghost sense. If a ghost gets anywhere near him, it goes off," Jazz admitted.

"Now, what about Mayor Tucker Foley? Does he have any enemies?" Ronald asked. Jazz shrugged.

"Not that I know of. He's unpopular, well he was unpopular. Made a nuisance of himself with girls. But generally I don't think he's disliked," Jazz replied.

"And Miss Manson?" Ronald prompted, jotting down notes before glancing up at the red head. She shrugged again.

"I guess people might be jealous of her. You know, being my brother's girlfriend. She does get on people's nerves with her protests and campaigns. But I think most people ignore her. Everyone's used to it. I really don't know of anyone that would want to harm them. And I don't understand anyone wanting to hurt Danny," Jazz answered, tugging on her hair worriedly.

Ronald put a hand on Jazz's shoulder. She looked up at him sadly.

"I know it's hard. If you don't want to do this, I understand," Ronald muttered reassuringly. Jazz shook her head stubbornly.

"No. I want to do this. It's my fault. I'm the one that suggested this tour. Danny didn't want to do this in the first place. I mentioned it and my parents ran with it," Jazz confessed. Ronald blinked in surprise.

"He didn't? Then why did he go through with it?" Ronald inquired.

"He didn't really get a choice. Especially when dad blabbed about the tour to his friends and anyone else who listened. Then the press got involved publicising it. That's why we had to organise the lucky dip. There was too much interest. And Danny couldn't back out without looking bad," Jazz explained. Ronald nodded thoughtfully.

"Was it possible that someone could rig that lucky dip?" Ronald wondered. Jazz shrugged.

"We didn't limit entries. So I guess if someone really wanted to get on this tour they could have sent in hundreds of entries. I never realised that people wanting to hurt Danny might take advantage of this," Jazz answered. Ronald gave Jazz a sympathetic smile.

"Maybe we should start questioning the others. Do you want to wait here or come with me?" Ronald decided. Jazz took a deep breath before nodding.

"I'll come with. Whoever did this might give themselves away. Until now they've gotten away with everything. Tucker got blamed for the map getting lost. The crash was written off as bad luck. And we all thought Danny was sick, not poisoned," Jazz remarked. Ronald nodded. They left the icy hut, Jazz glancing worriedly at the medical facility entrance before they entered the cave where the humans were staying.

"Any news?" Kyle asked instantly as they all rushed to the duo. Jazz sighed and shook her head.

"That's not why we're here. I'm here as I'm investigating the crash. I've spoken with the Fentons and there's reason to believe that the crash wasn't an accident," Ronald revealed and paused to scan everyone's face. Everyone had varying degrees of surprise on their faces. Unfortunately it was impossible to tell whether they were surprised at being suspected or that the crash was an act of sabotage.

"So, I'm going to call you out to a private room to question you all to find out what happened. Jazz will be present as a Fenton representative," Ronald continued. Jazz nodded in agreement. Ronald scanned the room for anyone looking particularly worried. He decided to question Paulina first because she had opportunity.

"Paulina Sanchez? Would you mind following me please? Nothing to worry about, but I need to start somewhere," Ronald requested. Paulina nodded nervously and followed Ronald and Jazz out of the cave and into the hut they'd been given.

"Take a seat Paulina," Ronald prompted. Paulina anxiously sat down.

"Now, in your own words, tell me what happened during the crash. I need to understand everything that happened from as many angles as possible," Ronald inquired gently. Paulina fiddled nervously with her long, glossy black hair and nodded.

"Okay, I was sitting in front of Danny. I didn't wear a seatbelt because I had turned around to talk to him. He wasn't really talking that much, just had his eyes shut, relaxing. Suddenly the Speeder jerked and Danny got up to help fix the problem. Danny went back to the storage cupboard but the Speeder tossed him on Samuel. The door opened next and then I fell out of the Speeder. Danny caught me but we fell and then Danny passed out. I was trapped under him. He woke up maybe fifteen minutes later and found the toolbox, he said it hit his head. He started flying us back to the Speeder but decided to land and we walked the rest, looking for stuff that fell out of the Speeder," Paulina recalled. Ronald made a note of what Paulina said.

"You said you were trapped under Danny. Were you hurt or unconscious at all?" Ronald asked. Paulina shook her head.

"No. Thanks to Danny, I was fine. It took me a few minutes to realise that Danny was knocked out. I tried to roll out from under him, but he was too heavy for me and I was pinned with my arms around his neck. I tried to wake him up but it didn't work, so I had to wait for him to come around," Paulina admitted. Jazz frowned.

"So you just laid there waiting?" Jazz inquired sceptically. Paulina huffed.

"No. I hugged him. What?! He's going to be my boyfriend," Paulina retorted. Jazz rolled her eyes. Now she understood why Danny blushed.

"Paulina, Danny doesn't have a split personality. And even if he did, Sam is his girlfriend. That's not about to change," Jazz commented sternly.

"Back to the matter at hand. Did you see anything unusual during the crash? Did you perhaps see anyone around the Speeder when they shouldn't have been?" Ronald interjected before an argument could start, spotting that Paulina was going to retort. Paulina frowned in thought before shaking her head.

"I didn't see anything, sorry," Paulina answered. Ronald stood and walked Paulina back to the underground cave and called Dash to the hut.

"Dash, take a seat and tell us what happened during the crash," Ronald began the interrogation. Dash nodded, rapping his knuckles nervously on the table.

"Look, I hardly saw anything. I-I had my eyes shut. I was scared! Alright. You watch the movies and you see those plane crashes. That's all that kept racing through my head. I didn't open my eyes until like five minutes after we hit the ground. Kyle had to help me to my feet 'cause I was shaking so bad," Dash exclaimed, before burying his face in his hands.

"Please don't tell anyone. I have a reputation," he mumbled through his fingers. Jazz blinked in surprise and glanced at Ronald. He shrugged.

"It's alright Dash that crash was pretty frightening. Everything said in here, stays in here. I'm just trying to figure out what happened. Did you see anyone acting suspicious around the Speeder? Was there anyone around the Speeder when they shouldn't have been?" Ronald inquired. Dash blinked and lowered his hands. He frowned.

"I didn't see anyone around the Speeder. But… at that restaurant. Lance and Samuel disappeared for a bit. They were gone for a long time. They didn't go to the bathroom 'cause I was facing the door and never saw either of them going in," Dash recalled. Ronald jotted down the oddity.

"Thanks Dash," Ronald concluded and led the teen out.

Next they questioned Lance. Lance sat down in front of them and neatly folded his hands in front of himself.

"Can you tell us what happened in the crash?" Ronald began.

"Sure, but there's not much to tell. I was filming when the Speeder tilted suddenly. At first I thought it was just a bump. Nothing to worry about, so I kept recording. Then, as you know, the Speeder tilted again. I nearly dropped the camera so I turned it off and tried to protect it. It's worth more than my job to let that get broken. I was at the front too, so I didn't really see much else than the control console going haywire and that we were spiralling to the ground. I have to say, I'm surprised no one got hurt," Lance answered. Ronald nodded.

"Did you ever see anyone suspicious by the Speeder, or by it when they weren't meant to be?" Ronald inquired. Lance hummed in thought.

"You know, now that you mention it. I saw Rebecca hanging around the Speeder a few times and I saw Samuel inside the Speeder when we were in the restaurant. Said he had to get something from his bag," Lance recalled.

"Why were you near the Speeder when everyone else was in the restaurant?" Ronald asked, glad for the opening to ask the question.

"I was filming. Getting a few extra outside shots. Got a few inside too," Lance replied easily.

"Could I see the footage? Might see something important," Ronald requested.

"Ah, you see… this isn't going to look good, but I can't do that," Lance muttered.

"Lance that footage could tell us who caused that crash!" Jazz exclaimed angrily almost slipping up and mentioning Danny's situation. Lance nodded and held up appeasing hands.

"I know. Honestly, I understand. This isn't some confidential video for the news stuff. The camera died. And I can't charge it without a plug," Lance confessed. Ronald hummed thoughtfully.

"Jazz, would the Far Frozen have charge points?" Ronald inquired. She shrugged.

"I could ask Frostbite. He's probably still with Danny," Jazz answered.

"Get us the camera and its charger and we'll see what we can do," Ronald decided. Lance agreed and left to do just that.

"We'll take a break so that you can check to see if we can charge that camera. Then I'll call in Samuel. His name keeps popping up," Ronald planned. Jazz nodded. Ronald glanced at the teen.

"How are you holding up?" he asked. Jazz glanced at him before shrugging.

"Dunno. I'm just trying to not think about how much time has gone by already. Hoping that the others will find that ghost and get back in time. I feel like I need to be in two places. Being here I'm helping Danny by finding who's responsible. But by not being with him, I feel guilty. But if it were reversed and I was with him, I'd feel terrible for not doing something!" Jazz explained with a despairing sigh. Ronald nodded slowly.

"I understand Jazz. But… it will be fine. Everything will work out," Ronald assured her. Jazz nodded sadly before collecting herself and training her features when she heard the crunch of snow outside into something sterner and less helpless. Lance popped his head back in and gave them the camera and charger.

"Please don't let that get broken. There'll be hell to pay at work if I don't come back with it intact," Lance implored. Jazz nodded and got to her feet.

"No problem. It'll be returned to you perfectly fine, and hopefully charged," Jazz assured with a warm smile as she took the electronics. Lance nodded and left.

Jazz left the hut and returned to the medical facility. She faltered when she heard her brother coughing before entering the room he was in. Frostbite was frowning worriedly at the halfa as he helped the teen sit up. Danny fell gently back on to the pillows, wheezing for breath and dropped a stained tissue in to the bucket beside him. Jazz walked closer and Frostbite looked up to give her a welcoming smile. Danny turned his head to see Jazz approaching.

"Hey," he croaked.

"Hey, how are you doing little brother?" Jazz greeted softly.

"You probably heard. Not great. But, all things considered, I'm okay," Danny answered croakily. Jazz sat down beside him and took his hand in her free one.

She glanced over her shoulder at the three ghosts working on a cure. She sighed softly and turned back to her brother.

"Any luck on a cure?" she asked. Danny shook his head.

"No, not yet. What's with the camera?" Danny answered. Jazz blinked and turned to Frostbite.

"It's dead. We were hoping to get it charged. Ronald's hoping to get some clues or evidence from the footage," Jazz explained, giving the ghostly leader a hopeful look.

"We do have electricity in the Ghost Zone but it's a different type to the electricity humans have. I can't be sure that our electricity will be compatible," Frostbite warned.

"Will it damage the camera?" Jazz inquired with concern. Frostbite shook his head.

"It shouldn't. But it may charge quicker or lose its charge faster than usual. And it may damage the battery if charged with ghost electricity repeatedly, if compatible," Frostbite replied. Jazz nodded.

"So once is fine. Go ahead Frostbite. Thanks," Jazz decided and handed the device and charger to the ghost.

"Any luck?" Danny asked, giving his sister's hand a weak squeeze.

"We haven't spoken to everyone yet. Only Lance, Paulina and Dash so far. We're gonna talk to Samuel next. He's been mentioned a couple of times," Jazz answered. Danny nodded tiredly.

"What have you and Frostbite been talking about?" Jazz inquired curiously.

"Just stuff. What I've been up to since we last talked. A bit about what I thought of the places Frostbite sent us to. Some pointers on my ice powers. I only really know the basics. Obviously I can't practice them now but it's interesting," Danny told her. Jazz smiled gently and decided to spend some time with her brother while she waited for the camera to charge.

 **Any guesses on the culprit behind everything? And why?**

 **So Danny's coping fairly well but will a cure be found before it's too late?**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Remember to check out my website and cast your vote in the poll. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

Jazz held the camera in her hands. It was charged after only half an hour. She glanced over her shoulder and winced as her brother started coughing again. He was gradually getting worse. Coughing more regularly and for longer. His breathing was almost always rattling and laboured. She finally convinced him to take a drink, if only to soothe his throat which she could tell was sore and painful from how croaky he sounded when he spoke. Unfortunately, Danny just got sick and vomited the water up along with bile and more blood. Frostbite had offered to watch Danny for Jazz while she was busy. She was immensely grateful towards the ghost. It helped her to know that Danny wasn't alone while she worked on finding the person responsible for all this heartache.

She returned to the icy hut to find Ronald scribbling notes on a blackboard he somehow got. He had a crude drawing of the layout inside the Speeder and was trying to map out who was sitting where during the crash. He'd already placed himself, Maddie, Jack, Paulina, Lance, Danny and Samuel. He also had a list of the tour group members, bar Maddie, Jazz, Jack, Tucker, Sam and himself, with jotted down notes of movements beside Danny, Lance, Dash and Paulina's names. Jazz put the camera on the desk.

"Sam was sitting beside Danny and I was sitting here, beside Andrea," Jazz informed him, announcing her presence to the detective. He scribbled in the names on the seat locations.

"How's Danny?" he asked.

"Getting worse. But… it's to be expected. Can we just focus on this?" Jazz replied quietly. Ronald nodded and glanced at the camera behind them.

"Did you get it charged?" Ronald inquired. Jazz nodded.

"Yeah, but it mightn't hold a charge very well. Ghost Zone electricity is different to normal electricity," Jazz explained. Ronald nodded and sat down with the camera, switching it on and accessing the memory card to play back the video. It started a few minutes after they entered the Ghost Zone. Annoyingly, most of the footage didn't even show the others on the tour. They saw all the places they visited. It gave Jazz a pang of sadness to see her brother so healthy mere hours ago, smirking at Sam while Paulina trailed along behind them hopefully. Then they reached the last island they visited for fun. The beach island where they lost the map. Lance had been giving a panoramic view of the island when it swept over the Speeder with Rebecca hanging around beside the vehicle.

They continued on to see the restaurant, and true enough like Lance said Samuel was inside the Speeder. The camera was switched off though as Lance went over to ask what the other man was doing. The next time they saw Danny was on the flight away from the wolf island and Jazz sighed sadly as she noticed how pale he was, bags starting to form around his eyes despite him being asleep. The last thing on the video was a shaky view of the green expanse of the Ghost Zone and a soft curse from Lance which was cut off unexpectedly, obviously when the camera died.

Ronald frowned disappointedly as he switched off the camera and placed it on the table.

"I'd hoped to get more clues out of this footage. But maybe we can use it to get answers. Make it a scare factor," Ronald mused. Jazz nodded slowly.

"Alright. Are we going to call Samuel in now?" Jazz replied. Ronald nodded.

"Yes. I'll go get him now," Ronald confirmed. A few minutes later, Ronald returned but not with Samuel.

"Rebecca, please take a seat," Ronald muttered as he took his own beside Jazz.

"Samuel was absent, looking for a bathroom when I went for him," he murmured in Jazz's ear as an explanation.

"Rebecca, perhaps you could start by telling us what you remember of the crash," Ronald suggested. Rebecca nodded slowly.

"Okay, I was sitting behind that Dash kid and Kyle. In front of the hatch and Samuel I think. I was looking out when the Speeder suddenly jerked. Saw that forest island and to be honest I was praying we wouldn't visit. Not much of an outdoorsy gal you see," Rebecca recalled.

"Wait a minute. What did you think it was going to be like in the Ghost Zone? Shopping malls and parks with clear paths paved out for you?" Jazz interjected in confusion. She couldn't understand why Rebecca was on this tour. She came in a dress and high heels. And Jazz had seen a glimpse into the woman's bag when she found it in the forest, the zip had slipped and jammed. She brought make up, another dress and matching high heels to wear.

"I didn't know what to expect. Your family were incredibly secretive about what it was like," Rebecca retorted.

"Then shouldn't you have worn more suitable clothes? Hiking boots and trousers, not an outfit you'd go to a wedding in," Jazz pointed out. Rebecca shrugged.

"You see honey, that's where you've been going wrong. Lance is with the news. Recording everything and _everyone_ on the tour. I had to look my best," Rebecca explained kindly with a concluding nod.

"So that's why you put your name into the lucky dip? To look good," Jazz asked incredulously. Rebecca gave a false little giggle.

"Of course. This tour was exclusive, desired, priceless many would say. So I simply had to be on it. My friends always said I was born under a lucky star. They were right too. Only sent in about ten entries. It was the best opportunity to get close to Danny and get an autograph, maybe a picture. He's never given one you know. An autograph. At least, before he got sick and this whole tour went to hell," Rebecca confirmed. Jazz blinked and sighed.

"Oh, right. I guess I should have expected that answer," Jazz mumbled, disheartened that more than one person had taken advantage of the lucky dip tour to get close to Danny. She was starting to realise that very few people had wanted to go on the tour to see the Ghost Zone and just wanted to get close to Danny, either to take advantage of him or fawn over him, or to hurt him.

Ronald glanced at Jazz sympathetically. For such a bright girl, she had been a little naïve to think that people were using the tour for the same reasons she was. He had wanted to learn more about ghosts because he had grown interested and had had many run-ins with them in his work.

"Rebecca, would you mind continuing?" Ronald pressed. Rebecca turned to him and nodded.

"Sure. Well the Speeder started to shake. Danny called to his parents, asking what was going on and if they needed help and so on. Suddenly the whole thing tilted to one side and I was thrown against the window I was beside. Another tilt and Danny fell down in the aisle between me and Andrea. I heard some poor girl screaming and Danny shout something before he left. That's when I got scared. There was an explosion and the Speeder started plummeting to the ground. I thought I was going to die. So I clung to the seat I was on and shut my eyes," Rebecca recounted, shuddering at the memory. Ronald made a quick note of who Danny fell near. Knowing who Danny fell near told him who had an opportunity to poison him while Danny was distracted.

"Did you ever see anyone suspicious hanging around the Speeder, or was anyone near it when they weren't meant to be?" Ronald asked. Rebecca lightly tapped her chin in thought before nodding.

"I saw Samuel in the Speeder when we were on that beach island. Said he got sand in his socks and wanted to change them. I waited outside for him to finish. I hate feet. Especially men's feet. I wanted to touch up my make up," Rebecca answered. Ronald jotted down the comment quickly.

"Thank you Rebecca. I'll take you back to the cave now," Ronald concluded, shooting Jazz a meaningful glance. She nodded in understanding. Samuel had the perfect opportunity to steal the map. He was seen in the Speeder while everyone else was in the restaurant. Danny fell on him during the crash, he had opportunity to poison Danny in the confusion. Jazz gasped as she remembered the expedition to the pyramid, Samuel had volunteered to stay behind. He was surprisingly good at ghost hunting and yet he opted to stay behind, lowering the chance of finding help for Danny.

Ronald ran back into the icy hut.

"Samuel isn't back yet. Personally I think he would have found a bathroom by now and returned," Ronald panting, having ran back. Jazz got up from her seat.

"Do you think he lied and went to look for Danny?" Jazz asked fearfully. Ronald gulped nervously and nodded with wide scared eyes.

Danny fell back on to his pillows, wheezing for breath and dropped the bloodied tissue into his bucket. Another coughing fit. And each one was more tiring than the last. He wished he could sleep but to sleep he would change forms. And right now, changing forms was the worst thing he could do. Jazz had been gone for almost an hour by now. Frostbite watched Danny worriedly. They were running out of subjects to talk about and Danny was really getting too tired to carry a conversation properly.

Despite being exhausted and wheezing for breath, he heard footsteps to his left, from the door. He'd grown accustomed to the sounds of the medical facility. The harmony of gentle whirring and soft beeps in the background were soothing after so long. The three physicians had gone to get some equipment from another room and a couple of texts on ghost medicine they hoped would help. Frostbite was the only one in the room besides Danny and his new visitor. He turned to the footsteps, expecting Jazz or Ronald, hoped for Sam, Tucker or his parents. But it was none of them. It was Samuel.

Danny blinked in surprise as Frostbite got to his feet.

"Can I help you? The great one needs his rest," Frostbite called uncertainly.

"No," Samuel answered evenly and pulled out a Fenton ghost rifle from his behind his back. He shot Frostbite in the chest, flinging the immense ghost into the lab desk nearby, shaking the table enough for equipment and phials to fall and break. Danny gasped and lapsed into a coughing fit. By the time he recovered Samuel was standing over him, rifle pointed at his head. He froze, his chest rattling as he wheezed quietly. A few minutes trickled by.

"I know you know what's really going on Phantom," Samuel finally muttered.

"Sabotage," Danny guessed, hoping to play it dumb until help could arrive. He was too weak to fight right now. Samuel scoffed.

"No. You know you're not sick. You know this is your death bed," Samuel growled, pressing the gun's pulsing green barrel against Danny's perspiring forehead. Danny gulped nervously.

"What do you want me to say?" Danny whispered.

"Nothing," Samuel answered.

"Why are you here? Kind of giving yourself away aren't you?" Danny asked softly.

"Because that detective and your nosy sister are on to me. Your fool parents and friends have gone off to get a cure for you. While I know that they lied about what's wrong with you, I can tell they weren't lying about that," Samuel hissed. Danny blinked, his vision going fuzzy from staring cross-eyed at the gun.

"Why are you here? Why not run away?" Danny pressed.

"They're gonna figure it out. I'll be caught. But at least I can do what I came on this stupid tour for," Samuel explained.

"Why do you want me dead?" Danny wondered softly, almost afraid of the answer.

"You're an abomination. Half human. Half ghost scum. It's sick! It mustn't be allowed. And it's even sicker that human girls fawn over you. And the thought of one day, you reproducing, it's disgusting," Samuel replied with hatred. Danny blinked in shock. He'd never thought about having kids one day. He was too young really to be considering that. But having that thrown at him so unexpectedly it had surprised him. He quickly regained himself. He could have that long and embarrassing thought process and conversation later, if there was a later.

"So, you're gonna shoot me?" Danny concluded, his voice even but his heart thundering in his chest, frightened. Samuel lifted the gun slightly.

"If I have to. The poison was supposed to be faster than this. I thought the crash would have been enough time. I even moved the toolbox somewhere I knew it would fall out of the Speeder. But you found it!" Samuel admitted.

"It kind of hit me on the head. It wasn't hard to find," Danny retorted, unable to stop himself. Samuel glared at the dying teen.

"Why steal the map though?" Danny inquired curiously.

"That map was given to you by a ghost friend of yours. It would either bring us to our deaths, or be a safe path to follow. I couldn't allow that," Samuel answered. Danny nodded slightly.

"You needed an opportunity to mess up the Speeder," Danny realised quietly.

"Yes, and the crash worked perfectly. You didn't even notice that I'd injected you with that poison," Samuel muttered with a cruel grin. Danny frowned.

"When I fell on you. But… you couldn't have been sure that would happen," Danny understood.

"That's why the hatch. I sabotaged that too. I was going to "help" you shut it. Almost fall and when you grabbed me, or I grabbed you to get back in, I would be able to inject you. But I didn't need that in the end, and you getting separated was perfect," Samuel explained.

Frostbite suddenly stirred and stumbled to his feet. Samuel looked away from Danny to shoot the ghost. Danny rolled off the bed, falling painfully to the ground. He pulled himself clumsily to his feet and staggered away from the armed man. Frostbite growled in his throat, roaring in anger, as Samuel shot the ghost's arm.

"Frostbite!" Danny shouted in concern, gaining Samuel's attention. Samuel turned to Danny and aimed the rifle at him. Danny gasped and conjured a shield around himself as Samuel pulled the trigger. Danny fell to his knees under the force of holding his shield, already exhausting himself. The shield failed after five shots.

Danny's vision swam and the medical facility spun around him, but he vaguely remembered that there were only eight shots in a charged rifle. Samuel stomped over to Danny and went to grab Danny's collar. He turned himself intangible and slipped through Samuel's fingers. Danny weakly pulled himself towards a bed and turned himself invisible as he rolled underneath it, hoping that Samuel would overestimate the halfa's energy and think he stood up and ran for it. Samuel breathed a swear word and began scanning the room, much to Danny's despair. He was already losing his hold on his invisibility. He needed help.

To his horror, a tickle started in his throat. He couldn't cough. Not now. If he coughed, he'd give away where he was, invisible or not. If he coughed, he was dead. He pursed his lips tightly and shut his eyes, desperately trying to cling to his invisibility which he knew was flickering, and stop himself from coughing. He listened tensely as Samuel carefully paced around the room. He was filled with dread when he couldn't hear Frostbite struggling in the room. Suddenly Samuel's footsteps stopped and Danny tensed fearfully. He couldn't stop himself from flickering in and out of visibility. He was too weak. He couldn't help it. He prayed to whatever was watching, God, Clockwork, fate, whatever, that Samuel wasn't looking in his direction.

Danny gritted his teeth behind pursed lips as his need to cough grew. He couldn't hold it back forever. Eventually he was gonna cough. His invisibility was going to fail any second now too. He was only prolonging the evitable. He could only hope that his stalling would be enough for help to come. He didn't want to die. His half-death had been bad enough. Terrifying, painful, scarring. He didn't know if he was strong enough to go through that again. He knew everyone died. But he was only barely sixteen. Sixteen year olds weren't meant to die. Eighty year olds, ninety year olds. Yeah, from old age. And while Danny couldn't imagine himself a wrinkly old man, it was how he wanted to die. Not lying under a hospital bed, fighting to stay unseen, fighting to remain unheard, hiding from a madman who wanted him dead, waiting and hoping for help to come and rescue him.

 **Yep, Samuel was behind everything. Anyone guess it was him?**

 **But will Jazz and Ronald get to Danny in time? Is Frostbite alright?**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Make sure to check out my website and vote in the poll before it's too late. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16

Jazz and Ronald sprinted out of the icy hut towards the medical facility. It was a ten minute walk. Not close enough for Jazz's tastes.

"How long has Samuel been missing?" Jazz asked as they ran.

"He left fifteen minutes before we called Rebecca in. I thought he'd come back while we questioned her. I thought we'd been careful enough not to let slip what we knew," Ronald replied, angrily berating himself.

"I should have stayed with him," Jazz muttered. They skidded to a stop outside the medical facility and charged down the slippery carved ice stairs and ran through the ice core emergency room. Ronald pulled Jazz back before she could explode through the door to where her brother was meant to be.

"Wait. We have to be smart about this," he hissed urgently.

"My brother needs me," Jazz snarled back and fought to reach the door.

"Jazz, stop. If you barge in there, you might make things worse. What if Samuel is in there only talking to Danny? If you barge in and startle him, you might make him do something rash, like killing your brother there and then. Cornered criminals are at their most dangerous, especially if they have a hostage," Ronald warned. Jazz stopped fighting Ronald but didn't move her eyes away from the door.

"Then what do we do?" she whispered.

"We find a back way in and try to surprise Samuel. Do you know the way?" Ronald answered. Jazz shook her head. Ronald sighed softly and scanned the room they were in. He spotted a door hidden in a shadowy corner.

"This way. Hopefully this will be right," Ronald encouraged, tugging Jazz's arm in the direction of the door.

They jogged as quietly as possible to the door and opened it with a deafening creak. They slipped inside to find a dark narrow corridor. A flight of stairs was on their right. Ronald led the way up them and they emerged on a maintenance balcony above the room Danny was in. Jazz muffled a gasp behind her hands as she saw Samuel holding a rifle, scanning the room with a hateful scowl on his face. Frostbite lay unconscious with a gushing green wound in his shoulder beside the bed Danny had been laying on. Glass and liquids covered the ground around the physicians' work space with no sign of the three ghosts. Jazz's gaze flitted around the room but there was no sign of her brother.

"Probably hiding," Ronald whispered in her ear, following her train of thought.

Jazz nodded fearfully as she watched for any sign of her brother both to ease her fear and to ensure Samuel didn't find him.

"Wait here. I'm going to find another way. If he finds Danny, shout or something. Might give Danny the room to get away," Ronald breathed before creeping back down the stairs to the service corridor they were in. Ronald crept along the corridor and found another door. He opened it a crack and nodded in satisfaction. He was now behind Samuel. He opened the door more and slipped in to the room, ducking for cover behind the physicians' workbench. He swept his gaze around the room before he caught a glimpse of something under a bed a few feet away from Samuel. Ronald frowned and watched the space a little longer. Just as he was about to dismiss it as a trick of the light, he saw it again for a split second. Danny. Flickering in and out of visibility underneath the bed.

Ronald bit his lip worriedly. It wasn't a good hiding place but he understood that in Danny's condition, it may have been the only one he could find. At least he could turn invisible, for now. Ronald looked up and saw Jazz above, her red hair making her easy to spot. He waved slightly to get her attention and pointed towards Danny when she looked. She soundlessly gasped and trained her concerned gaze on where he pointed. Ronald then turned to Samuel. The man had somehow gotten a Fenton rifle. But then again, the weapons hadn't been under lock and key and Samuel had been in the Speeder alone a few times. Smuggling away a gun wouldn't have been hard. And unfortunately, having the overnight bags sent to the same place Samuel was had given him the weapon to use.

But then Ronald's heart lurched in fear. A cough. A muffled cough. Samuel's head snapped towards Danny's hiding place. He raised his gun and waited. Ronald edged closer. Samuel hadn't been able to pinpoint Danny's location yet from a single cough. But to Ronald's horror, there was another cough seconds later, coupled with Danny flickering visible. Samuel's scowl softened into a triumphant smirk. Ronald lunged at the man as he pulled the trigger, already aiming the barrel at Danny's head. Ronald pushed the gun off course but the echoing click that signified an empty cartridge was a relief. Ronald wrestled the rifle away from Samuel and threw it across the room.

Jazz spun on her heels and sprinted down the steps nearly falling at least five times. She sprinted through the service corridor, through the ice core emergency room and into the second medical room. She ran to the bed Danny was under and dropped to her knees. She ignored the fist fight starting between Ronald and Samuel and focused on her brother. He seemed uninjured. She gently tugged on his arm.

"Danny, it's alright. You're safe now," she whispered soothingly. He opened his eyes and stopped flickering invisible. He sighed in relief before starting to cough. Jazz helped him out from under the bed and hugged him close, rocking him both to comfort him and comfort herself. She watched as Ronald punched Samuel in the jaw and flinched as Samuel kicked Ronald in the shin.

"Jazz, aim for me," Danny rasped. Jazz blinked in surprise and looked at her brother. He was sweating and wheezing for breath. His ghostly aura was the dimmest she'd ever seen. But his face was set in a determined frown.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked.

"Ghost ray. Try and knock him out. Not strong enough to do it by myself though," Danny answered softly.

"Is that a good idea?" Jazz retorted worriedly.

"Please Jazz," Danny pleaded. She sighed and helped him sit up against the bed, facing the fight. She lifted his hand for him and pointed it at the fighting men. It began to glow a soft green. Normally the green was bright and could even crackle with power if Danny was particularly angry or excited. The ghost ray built itself up gradually though and Jazz bit her lip uncertainly.

However she did as her brother requested. She aimed for him. While she inherited her aim from her father, she was determined not to miss this target. Ronald twisted away from Samuel and Jazz squeezed Danny's wrist tightly.

"Now," she ordered. Danny obeyed without hesitation. He fired his ghost ray straight and it hit the man in the back of the head. It was the best shot Jazz had ever aimed. She grinned as Samuel crumbled to the ground and Ronald turned to them, panting for breath and wiping away blood from his nose. Jazz turned to Danny and gasped as he slumped weakly against the bed, shaking with exhaustion.

"Tell me we got him," Danny breathed.

"We got him Danny. We got him," Jazz confirmed frightened for her brother.

Ronald rushed to the siblings just as a door opened and two of the ghostly physicians returned. They unloaded their armful of scrolls on the nearest table and rushed to Frostbite and Danny the second they saw the situation. The ghost that rushed to Danny's side, dropped to his knees and pulled up a closing eye lid.

"Great one?!" he called worriedly. The ghost scooped the teen up into his arms and hurried to return the halfa to his bed. He set the teen down gently and grabbed the core thermometer. Danny didn't even respond as the ghost took the reading.

"Too high, too high," the ghost muttered fearfully. The third physician returned with some phials and jars of powder which he set down and ran to Danny's side.

Ronald pulled Jazz into a comforting hug as she started to cry fearfully. The two physicians placed a carefully crafted slab of ice on Danny's forehead like a cloth. The ghost tending to Frostbite had already bandaged the leader's shoulder and ran to get a syringe of glowing blue liquid. The ghost injected the liquid in Danny's arm. Danny shuddered as he began to glow a soft blue.

"What is that?" Ronald asked on Jazz's behalf.

"It's raw ice energy. It should help him stay awake. We can't let him fall asleep," one of the physicians called. The ghosts quickly set up an IV line which fed a mixture of diluted pure ectoplasm and raw ice energy into him, desperate to keep the teen awake. Ronald pulled Jazz out of the room and took her into the cave with the other humans.

"Jazz?! What's wrong?" Dash asked worriedly as the group got to their feet. Andrea quickly shuffled over and pulled the distraught teen into a hug, taking over from Ronald.

"Danny's taken a turn for the worse. The ghosts are doing what they can. If you excuse me, I need to do something. But I'll be back in half an hour," Ronald answered on the girl's behalf. Ronald took his leave and returned to the medical facility. The ghosts, Frostbite still unconscious, were too busy trying to prolong the time Danny had to notice Ronald marching over to Samuel's unconscious form. He grabbed a bundle of bandages to tie the man's hands behind his back and dragged him out of the medical facility, getting help from a passing ghost once outside. The ghost was kind enough to find rope to tie Samuel to a chair for Ronald. They even offered to guard the human.

Ronald returned to the medical facility to check on Danny. Things had calmed down by now. Two physicians had started cleaning up the mess from the fight before they could resume looking for a cure, but losing a lot of the chemicals had pushed back their progress. The third was tending more thoroughly to Frostbite's injuries. Ronald walked over to Danny. The teen opened his eyes as he heard the man approach.

"Hey, you doing alright?" Ronald asked softly. Danny nodded weakly.

"As much as I can be. You got Samuel?" he croaked. Ronald nodded.

"He's been tied up and is being guarded. You're safe now," Ronald assured the halfa.

"Good," Danny breathed and closed his eyes.

Ronald surveyed the room. Frostbite, apart from a bullet wound to the shoulder and a couple of knocks to the head, was fine. Ronald nodded to the ghost in greeting, who smiled in return.

"Where's Jazz? Is she okay?" Danny inquired softly. Ronald turned back to the teen. Danny still had his eyes shut but seemed alert.

"She's fine. Bit shaken about what happened, but she's fine. She's with the others. Andrea took her under her wing, last I saw," Ronald answered.

"The others are… they aren't with Samuel right?" Danny muttered with concern, opening his eyes slightly. Ronald sighed.

"I doubt it but I'll check. Don't worry. Everything's under control. Just rest," Ronald replied. Danny sighed, closing his eyes again before lapsing into a coughing fit. Ronald handed a tissue to the teen and helped him sit up, getting an approving nod from a physician.

"When she's ready… can you send Jazz to me?" Danny rasped once he stopped coughing and got his breath back. Ronald blinked in surprise.

"Of course," he agreed.

Ronald left the medical facility to check on Jazz and pass on Danny's request. He entered the cave to find everyone gathered around Jazz worriedly while she numbly sipped a cup of tea, Andrea and Rebecca on either side. Ronald sighed softly and joined the group finding a seat near the red head.

"Ronald, what's going on?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, Jazz's too upset to tell us," Paulina added, with a light glare at the girl before softening her features into worry and concern. Ronald glanced at Jazz as she stared into her cup. He could see this was hard for her. And she was relatively alone as her parents had gone to find a cure. Yes, the others were there but they were more or less strangers. He decided to tell the truth. They caught the culprit. Any accomplices would reveal themselves once he said what happened but Ronald didn't think there were any other people who wanted to hurt Danny.

Paulina wanted to be in a relationship with Danny, killing him would prevent that. Dash wanted to be Danny's friend. Rebecca wasn't the killing type. She was all about image. Becoming a murderer would risk her entire lifestyle and reputation. If she really did want someone dead, Ronald highly doubted that she'd do it herself. Andrea, while a nurse, wouldn't have the opportunity or money for it. Besides the elderly woman was a big fan. Kyle was a kid, a good kid. Lance reported on the news, well the weather and ghosts, he didn't make it. Ronald highly doubt the man would have the stomach for killing. Murder took a particular type of person.

Ronald took a deep breath as he prepared to tell these people the upsetting truth.

"We haven't been entirely truthful with you all. But we had our reasons. In order to find the person responsible, we had to be careful about what we told you we knew," Ronald admitted. The group blinked in surprise.

"Then what is that truth? Was the crash an accident after all or something?" Kyle asked. Ronald shook his head.

"Sabotaging the Speeder was only a means to an end, which served its purpose," Ronald answered.

"What was its purpose then?" Rebecca pressed.

"Someone, I'm sure you can guess who, used this tour in order to get close to Danny. Danny isn't sick. He was poisoned," Ronald revealed carefully, quickly scanning everyone's faces as they gasped in horror. All the responses seemed genuine.

"By… by a ghost?" Paulina whispered, almost hopefully.

"No. By Samuel. I've detained him and he's being guarded," Ronald correctly seriously.

"Can you be sure that he's responsible?" Lance asked. Ronald nodded.

"He stole a Fenton ghost weapon and just tried to kill Danny. Would have done too if we hadn't intervened. However it's imperative that Danny rest and conserve his energy as much as possible right now and fighting for his life hasn't helped matters," Ronald replied. A number of the group glanced at each other and Jazz worriedly, who didn't look up from her cup.

"Will he be okay?" Dash muttered. Ronald sighed.

"The ghosts here are doing everything they can. But without a cure they are only fighting for time," Ronald answered softly.

"Can we see him?" Andrea inquired, gently taking Jazz's hand in hers to show support.

"I'll ask him. He seemed pretty alert when I was talking to him just now. But he's very tired," Ronald explained. Jazz looked up.

"He didn't pass out?" she remarked relieved. Ronald shook his head.

"The ghosts managed to prevent it," Ronald confirmed.

Jazz sighed in relief. The others blinked in surprise and turned to Ronald for an explanation.

"The poison was specially made to target half-ghosts. The poison targets Danny's ghost half but is spread by his human side. In order to buy as much time as possible, Danny has to remain in his ghost form. As I understand it, when Danny falls asleep or gets knocked unconscious, he reverts to his human form. Therefore, he has to stay awake," Ronald informed them. Everyone shared concerned looks.

"He was asking for you Jazz, when you're ready," Ronald informed her. Jazz blinked in surprise and got to her feet, rushing out of the cave to be by her brother's side.

 **Any idea why Danny wanted Jazz to see him?**

 **However the time limit was six hours at worst before Sam, Tucker, Jack and Maddie left to find the ghost of healing and sickness. Will they make it in time? Especially since the physicians have lost a lot of progress thanks to Samuel knocking Frostbite into their work station.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Don't forget to cast your vote in the poll on my website before it's too late. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17

Sam huffed angrily. They'd tried rushing the ghost in the Speeder but the large snake was too fast for them. They'd tried five times. All failures. They needed a better plan. Time was not on their side.

"Any ideas?" Sam asked.

"We could try to move around outside the Speeder. If we can move around enough, maybe we can attack on more than one front," Maddie suggested. Tucker and Sam shared frowns.

"It's not easy moving around outside the Speeder. We've always had Danny to help us. It's not like swimming. It's a lot harder to move without flying," Tucker informed her.

"Wait a sec," Jack muttered and rushed to the back of the Speeder, squeezing through the seats and rifled through the storage cupboards.

"Aha! Knew I packed these. I've been working on these babies for a couple of months now. Not strong enough to get me off the ground, but might be enough to move you kids around without gravity messing everything up," Jack exclaimed.

He turned around to reveal two small backpacks with banged up rockets attached.

"Jet packs. Cool!" Tucker cheered.

"Er, are they safe?" Sam ventured as Jack handed the experimental jet packs to the teens.

"I fixed the bug that made them blow up ages ago. Like I said, it runs, but it's not strong enough to lift a person," Jack answered.

"Exactly! It can't lift but it'll be enough to propel someone in zero gravity!" Maddie agreed excitedly.

"That's right sweet cheeks. But I only have two," Jack replied.

"Why two?" Tucker interjected curiously.

"Oh, well when I realised the first one wasn't strong enough, I-er well I made a second to go on my front. I hoped that two together would be enough, but it wasn't," Jack explained embarrassed. Maddie put a reassuring hand on to her husband's arm.

Sam and Tucker pulled on the jet packs and they opened the door. They used some ecto-resin coated string to tie the teens to a couple of seats inside the Speeder to prevent them drifting off by accident. They jumped out at a safe distance from the ghost snake and turned the jet packs on. Tucker zoomed forward before he could react until the string stopped him. Sam on the other hand was a natural using the control joysticks to manoeuvre herself accurately around the Speeder without once relying on the string to pull her back or stop her. She returned inside the Speeder with a grin.

"Wow, Mr Fenton, these jet packs are amazing!" Sam complimented.

"Aw shucks, Sam. Just doing my bit," Jack muttered.

"Can someone help me!?" Tucker shouted, still struggling with the controls.

"It's inverted Tuck! It's the opposite to normal," Sam called.

"Oh! Right. Thanks Sam!" Tucker retorted and finally got control of the jet pack. He gradually returned to the Speeder.

"These are cool. But bit hard to steer for me," Tucker admitted.

"Alright, would you two feel confident enough to fly without a safety line?" Maddie inquired. Sam nodded confidently. Tucker see-sawed his hand.

"Sam can always grab me if I start drifting too far. We need to get that venom. We've been here at least half an hour by now. To keep that six hour deadline, we need to leave in about an hour," Tucker replied. Both parents and Sam nodded in understanding.

"So while we're out there, what are you guys gonna do?" Tucker wondered.

"We'll be the distraction. Jack will drive and I'll shoot out of the door at the ghost. Then you two will get as close as possible and collect the venom," Maddie planned.

"In what? We were trying to knock it out first," Sam pointed out. Maddie bit her lip before ducking into the storage cupboard and pulled out two plastic cartons that had once held juice. She grabbed a bottle of water and poured some into each carton, rinsing any residual juice out, dumping it out of the Speeder where it clumped together and floated away.

"Take these. One each and try and get close enough. You'll need to press on the tooth in order to milk the venom. Make sure to get as much as you can, we don't know how potent it is," Maddie told them, handing them a carton each. Sam nodded and untied the resin string from herself and the seat and used it to make a shoulder strap to hold the carton for her.

"Ooh! Make one for me too!" Tucker exclaimed excitedly. Sam scoffed but obliged.

Jack then dropped in the driver's seat and flew to a safe distance on the snake's left and Sam jumped out. The snake hissed threateningly at the Speeder as it flew at a safe distance to its right. Tucker jumped out and the Speeder rushed around to be in front of the ghost. Sam manipulated the jet pack to fly her towards the ghost a little and Tucker did the same. On their own, they were much smaller and less noticeable. Maddie armed herself up with weapons and placed extra ammo cartridges on the seat beside her. She tied herself to the seat, leaving her extra weapons and ammunition in a box, tied securely to the seat.

After being given the word, Jack sped forward towards the ghost snake at full speed. Maddie leant out of the door and, with a war cry, fired her ghost rifle at the snake. The snake roared angrily and lashed its tail angrily at the vehicle. Sam and Tucker rushed forward but were forced to dodge the flailing tail before they could reach the mouth. Jack turned around and rushed the snake again, Maddie firing as many rounds from her gun at it, many shots missed with the fast moving vehicle throwing off her aim, but they didn't want to kill the ghost. They just wanted to distract it. Sam zoomed forwards but the snake lifted its head unexpectedly and Sam sailed past.

Jack turned around again and charged forwards for a third time. Maddie, once again, fired her gun wildly at the ghost. Tucker gasped as he saw an opening and rushed forwards. Maddie's gun ran out and she dropped it and grabbed another in one fluid movement. The snake shrieked angrily and Tucker, still finding control difficult, couldn't stop himself going into the mouth.

"Tucker!" Sam screamed fearfully. The Speeder swung back around and Maddie fired at the snake again. Sam zoomed forwards to the mouth. She swerved away as the head jerked in her direction before she charged forward as it screamed angrily. With her feet and hand she held the snake's mouth open. One-handedly she pushed the carton to a fang and pressed firmly against it. The snake threw its head around trying to get rid of her but she held firm. With a strained smirk, she felt something trickle into the carton. It was half full by the time she lost her grip. She held the venom close to her chest as she spun out of control.

The Speeder sped towards Sam and Maddie grabbed the teen by her arms to drag her into the vehicle. Sam panted with adrenaline as she collapsed into a seat.

"Now for Tucker. Jack we're gonna have to crash. Straight in the stomach," Maddie ordered. Jack nodded and charged right for the snake. Maddie clung to the seat beside her and Sam quickly pulled a seatbelt across herself. With a shout of warning, the Speeder hit the snake head on. The snake doubled over and seemed to retch. Tucker tumbled out of the snake's mouth. He shook his head blearily before pushing his jet pack to zoom away from the snake. The Speeder backed away from the snake and reversed as fast as possible to a safe distance.

Tucker shakily flew to the Speeder and through the open door. He turned off the jetpack and slumped into a seat, flinging gunk from his face before flipping his beret off and wringing it out.

"Please say we got the venom because I do _not_ want to do that again!" Tucker implored hopefully. Sam smiled.

"Yep. Got lots. I just hope enough," Sam confirmed.

"Uh oh. Bad news. That crash… it's damaged the engine. It'll run. But… it's gonna take us longer to get back to the Far Frozen," Jack called over his shoulder. Sam gasped.

"I could take the Infi-map and get there faster," Sam offered worriedly.

"Sam, you know how crazy that thing is. What if we drop it?" Tucker interjected quickly.

"We could half it. Just in case, I'll put half in yours and that can go by Speeder and I'll take mine via map," Sam suggested.

"Good plan. I'll grab the map. You split the venom," Maddie decided. Sam nodded and grabbed the carton from Tucker and opened both containers. Maddie scooped up the map as Jack input the destination, Far Frozen, in the inbuilt guidance system.

"So, let me get this straight. Sam will just hold the map and say "take me to the Far Frozen" and it will?" Maddie inquired curiously. Sam nodded and Tucker looked up in time to cry out in alarm as the map began to glow. Maddie screamed in shock as she was pulled by the map out of the Speeder and through the Ghost Zone.

Tucker and Sam gaped at the place Maddie had been mere seconds ago.

"Oh man. This is terrible. I hope Danny can wait more than a couple of hours," Tucker muttered worriedly. Sam nodded.

"I'll pour all the venom into yours, mine has a huge hole in the top so yours is safer," Sam told the techno-geek. Jack bit his lip.

"She'll be fine right? She'll get to the Far Frozen alright?" Jack inquired worriedly. Sam and Tucker nodded.

"As long as she keeps a hold of the map, it'll take her to the Far Frozen. Don't worry Mr Fenton, Mrs Fenton will be fine," Sam confirmed.

"I hope I'm not gonna get sick. Being sick sucks," Tucker grumbled as he pulled off his shirt and wrung it out before putting it back on.

"What makes you think you're gonna get sick," Sam retorted with a raised eyebrow, screwing the lids back on to the cartons.

"Hello! Ghost of healing and _illness_! Sam we know the venom heals, what about its stomach gunk?" Tucker replied.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. And if not, we can spare a little venom hopefully to cure you, or the Far Frozen ghosts will cure you," Sam mused. Tucker huffed but nodded.

"At least we'll only just miss the worst case scenario deadline. Two hours travelling there. Hour fighting that ghost? And over two hours travelling," Sam remarked.

"You're gonna jinx it Sam. And you're not factoring in the time it took to find the ghost in the first place. That took about twenty or thirty minutes," Tucker commented.

"Maybe one of you should take the wheel," Jack suggested.

"You take it Tucker. I'll hold the venom," Sam decided, already sinking into a seat and pulling on a seatbelt. Tucker rolled his eyes but didn't argue. Jack slid over to the passenger seat and Tucker took the wheel. The teen flicked a couple of switches before hitting the accelerator and sped through the Ghost Zone, following the guidance system easily. Sam hugged the carton of venom to her chest.

"Don't worry Danny, we're coming. We're coming with the healing venom," she whispered to herself as the Speeder fell into a tense silence.

Maddie screamed as she zoomed through the Ghost Zone, clinging to the map in her hand like a lifeline. Before she knew it, she hit solid ground and was buried in snow. Shivering, she got to her feet and hugged herself for warmth. She scanned her surroundings and sighed in relief. She recognised this icy tundra. She was in the Far Frozen but with a horrified gasp, she realised that Frostbite's village was nowhere in sight. She bit her lip worriedly. She glanced at the map before she realised that she didn't know what the village was called. She unfurled it gently.

"I don't know how you work exactly… but I need to get to my son and check on him. Please show me the way," Maddie pleaded the ghostly item and a dotted line drew itself on the map for her, showing her the way. Maddie nodded and began to trudge through the snow, hoping she'd find the village before she got hypothermia, her coat still in the Speeder. She scowled to herself about what happened. With a groan she realised she must have activated the map by accident and told it to take her to the Far Frozen. She should probably go back to the Speeder but now she was there, she couldn't leave without ensuring her son was coping. And Jazz of course. She had to be sure both her children were safe and hoped that Ronald found the monster responsible for all the horrible things that had happened on this tour.

 **Will Maddie get there in time to see Danny?**

 **Will she be alright?**

 **Will the Speeder be in time?**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **This is the last day of the poll! Make sure to have your say because it's closing before the next chapter goes up. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

Jazz walked nervously into the medical facility. Danny asked her to come see him. She was concerned about why. She entered the room and saw the three physicians working on synthesising a cure and Frostbite sitting on the bed next to Danny, his shoulder well wrapped in bandages. Jazz walked slowly closer to her brother's bed, Danny opened his eyes and glanced over in her direction. He smiled at her tiredly.

"Frostbite, would you mind giving us some privacy? I'm glad that you're okay. I can't thank you enough for trying to protect me," Danny requested quietly, his voice croaky. Jazz sat down beside Danny and took his white gloved hand, giving it a squeeze in greeting as Frostbite shuffled away.

"Hey, you asked me to come," Jazz muttered. Danny nodded weakly.

"Yeah. I want to ask you something," Danny admitted. Jazz frowned worriedly.

"Go ahead," she prompted.

"If I die before mom, dad, Sam and Tucker get back, can you pass on a few messages?" Danny requested. Jazz shook her head in shock.

"No, don't-don't say that. You're gonna be fine! They'll find a cure," Jazz insisted angrily. Danny gave her hand the strongest squeeze he could manage.

"Jazz, they think we have a lot more time than I have. If it weren't for this IV feeding me with pure energy, I would've passed out," Danny informed her sharply.

"I'm sorry Danny. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault," Jazz whispered as she began to cry. Danny blinked in surprise and squeezed her hand again.

"Hey, don't say that. It's not your fault. You didn't know Samuel hated me," Danny replied gently. Jazz wiped away her tears but more kept coming. She wanted to stay strong for her brother. But now that she'd started crying, she couldn't stop.

"If I-I had-hadn't s-suggested this t-t-tour S-Samuel wouldn't h-have p-poisoned you. I should have l-listened to you. You were r-r-right. I shouldn't h-have s-suggested this," Jazz sobbed, her crying getting louder and faster.

"Jazz listen to me," Danny demanded sternly. Jazz sniffed and wiped away more flowing tears. She hiccoughed but nodded to show she was listening.

"This wasn't your fault. Remember when Ronald was questioning me? You said that poison was specially made so it had to be premeditated. Which means this would have happened whether we had that tour or not," Danny reasoned. Jazz's crying eased.

"And for the record, until we crashed, I actually enjoyed this tour a lot more than I thought I would. I've never really gone sight-seeing before and it was nice," Danny added kindly. Jazz gave a shaky laugh and a watery smile.

Danny squeezed her hand before he began to cough. Jazz gasped and helped her brother sit up and handed him a tissue.

"Thanks," he croaked once he recovered and lay back down. Jazz, having calmed down a lot, sighed.

"What are your messages Danny? I'll go along with this but I'm not going to have to pass them on alright. Because you're gonna get better," Jazz asked, sternly reminding him not to give up. Danny nodded weakly.

"I know. I'm not giving up. But I'm… I'm just scared that I'm running out of time," Danny whispered. Jazz frowned sympathetically and gave her brother's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Can you tell mom and dad that I'm sorry for keeping my secret from them for so long? That they're the best parents ever and make sure they know they're not to blame for my accident in the portal and that I love being half-ghost. Tell them that I love them," Danny requested sadly. Jazz nodded, committing the message to memory as best she could.

"And tell Tucker, he's my best friend. He's like my brother. Make sure to tell him that I'm glad he's happy but tell him to give up being mayor if he doesn't like it. To remember when he was pharaoh. But he's a genius with tech and not to forget it," Danny resumed, swallowing thickly as he fought to remain calm.

"And S-Sam. Tell her… sorry we weren't together for longer. That I love her and I'm sorry I was so clueless. She's the most beautiful person I've ever known. Smart, kind, supportive," Danny continued as a few tears slipped out of his eyes.

"An-and tell them all thanks for putting up with me. I know I can be annoying, hard to be around and clueless sometimes," Danny concluded with a shaky laugh as he began to cry.

Jazz leant forward and wrapped her arms around him as much as she could with him laying down. He buried his face in her shoulder and wrapped an arm around her in return.

"Shh, it's okay little brother. I'm scared too. I'll tell them. It's okay," Jazz whispered in his ear to soothe him. After five minutes of crying, the siblings broke their embrace and as Danny tried to get his breathing back to normal he started coughing again. Jazz helped him again.

"So that IV… what's in it?" Jazz asked, eager to move on from the emotional moment they'd shared.

"Er, pure ectoplasm and raw ice energy I think they said," Danny answered.

"Why didn't they do this from the beginning?" Jazz inquired.

"Two reasons. One it's putting more ghost stuff in me, which is what the poison is breaking down. They were worried that it might speed it up. And two, it's making me sick. High concentrations of ectoplasm is bad for me. Ghosts are fine, but my human half can't stand it," Danny explained. Jazz frowned worriedly.

"Sick how?" Jazz pressed with concern.

"The only reason I haven't gotten sick yet is because I have nothing left to throw up," Danny replied. Jazz frowned sympathetically.

"Ronald told the others that Samuel poisoned you. I don't know if you knew. They asked if they could visit you," Jazz informed him. Danny blinked in surprise.

"Uh, I guess it's okay if Ronald thinks it's safe. But make sure they know how bad I am," Danny answered softly. Jazz nodded in understanding.

"I'll let them know. Do you want anything?" Jazz replied. Danny shook his head. Jazz sighed and left, she spotted Frostbite returning to sit on the bed beside Danny.

Jazz sighed softly and returned to the cave the humans were using. Everyone turned to her expectantly.

"What did he want?" Dash asked.

"None of your business!" Andrea snapped, cuffing the teen by the ear. Dash yelped and frowned at the elderly woman. Ronald approached Jazz.

"He wanted to give me messages for our parents, Sam and Tucker. In case… in case they're too late," Jazz answered sadly. Ronald pulled the teen into a comforting hug seeing that she needed it.

"They won't be," Ronald assured her softly. Jazz nodded.

"Do you want to stay here or come with me to check on Samuel?" Ronald inquired kindly. Jazz bit her lip.

"I want to ask Samuel why he did what he did," Jazz decided. Ronald nodded and led the way out of the cave. The remaining humans shared concerned looks.

Jazz twisted her hands nervously as they approached the icy hut. Ronald glanced at her with concern.

"I know this has been hard on you Jazz. But I must say you've been holding up extremely well," Ronald remarked. Jazz sighed.

"Thanks, but I feel like a failure. I'm Danny's older sister. I'm meant to protect him. But under my nose, Samuel poisoned him! And then when I know someone poisoned him, I fail again and Samuel almost killed my brother when he's too weak to defend himself," Jazz retorted, sighing sadly again. Ronald nodded slowly in understanding.

"I can see that would be difficult. But you aren't to blame. I should have realised that Danny might need protection. And you aren't to blame for other people's actions. Don't worry. Danny's strong. And the others are determined and driven. Danny will be fine," Ronald assured her. Jazz sighed sadly but nodded.

They reached the hut and Ronald stepped inside, Jazz following close behind, after nodding to the ghostly guard. Ronald noisily pulled out a chair and offered it to Jazz. She sat down as Ronald sat down as well.

"Samuel, you can stop faking. I know you've come around by now," Ronald commanded sharply. Samuel didn't react. Ronald raised an eyebrow. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Samuel, we know you're awake. Ticking me off is not a wise move," Ronald growled. Samuel opened his eyes and scowled at the detective.

"What do you want?" Samuel snarled.

"Answers. Starting with why you poisoned Danny," Ronald retorted.

Samuel scoffed and turned away from the man. He glanced at Jazz.

"How is that abomination anyway? Dead yet?" Samuel sneered.

"No. Danny is still alive. Thanks to the ghosts of the Far Frozen. Is that why you tried to kill him? You believe him to be an abomination?" Ronald answered while Jazz gritted her teeth furiously at the detained man. Samuel laughed cruelly.

"Part of it. Another is because half of that scum is a ghost," Samuel confirmed. Jazz gasped.

"Samuel _White_. It's an alias isn't it?" Jazz realised. Samuel sniggered.

"You finally figured it out. I thought I blew my cover during that ghost fight with that wolf pack," Samuel muttered smugly. Jazz jumped to her feet.

"You! You monsters! Even after my brother saves the world! Even after he reveals that he's not just a ghost! You still won't leave him alone!" Jazz shouted furiously. Samuel frowned at her.

"No ghost would protect a human for no reason. Obviously those ghosts were protecting themselves," Samuel retorted.

"Jazz, what is it? What did you figure out?" Ronald inquired worriedly.

"He's part of the Guys in White. A secret government agency that hunts and destroys ghosts. At least that was before the disasteroid," Jazz elaborated.

"You're a smart one," Samuel confirmed.

"But the Guys in White are usually a lot more obvious. Smashing down doors and walls and shouting for surrender. Poison and sabotage would normally be far too discrete for Guys in White," Jazz mused suspiciously.

"We are no longer with the government. Our activities were frozen after the disasteroid crisis. But we would not just _stop_ when that scum was free. Masters destroyed himself in space. But your _brother_ was revered. Girls worshipped him. It was sickening to watch," Samuel replied. Jazz fisted her hands and shook with anger.

"What have you done on this tour? We know you stole the map, sabotaged the Speeder and poisoned Danny. What else?" Ronald pressed. Samuel scoffed.

"You tried to stop us getting a cure for Danny too didn't you? Or tried to lower our chances by not volunteering to help," Jazz added angrily. Samuel smirked.

"Might as well own up then. I lured those ghost wolves to our camp after the crash," Samuel relented. Ronald scowled.

"How did you get the poison? Did the Guys in White make it?" Ronald asked. Samuel smirked in answer. Jazz growled angrily.

"You're not getting away with this! You're gonna be arrested and imprisoned for as long as possible," Jazz hissed before storming out of the hut unable to stand being near the man responsible for everything that happened.

With angry tears in her eyes, Jazz stomped through the village, not paying attention to where she was heading. She was happy that they caught Samuel. But Danny was still not out of danger. She was frightened for her brother. His messages echoed in her mind. Danny had always been confident that he would win. But even he was worried. Worried enough to say his last words. She hadn't seen her brother cry like that for a very long time now. Not since he was little and being bullied so much he was afraid to go to school. Her parents were away and Jazz was left to stay strong for her brother. But she was crumbling under that pressure. She had no one to be strong for her except Ronald and the other tour group members. But they were strangers or classmates. Ronald, while incredibly nice and understanding, wasn't a long-time friend or family. After this, Jazz knew Ronald would be a family friend no matter the outcome. But she needed someone to take some of the pressure off her right now.

Jazz stopped and hugged herself. Not from the cold, but because she didn't know what to do anymore.

"I really need mom or dad. I can't do this alone," she whispered to herself.

"J-Jazz?" a voice Jazz recognised called behind her. Jazz spun around and gasped. Her mother was back! Half-frozen, yes, but she was back. Jazz ran to her mother and embraced her.

"Oh mom! I'm so glad you're here! You got the venom right? Where's the others?" Jazz exclaimed in relief. Maddie stiffened in her daughter's arms.

"Ja-Jazz, I'm af-fraid the others aren't h-here yet," Maddie confessed.

"What?! B-but Danny needs that cure," Jazz retorted fearfully.

"W-what d-do you m-mean? J-Jazz h-has something h-happened?" Maddie inquired worriedly. Jazz bit her lip.

"Let's get you warmed up first," Jazz decided and led Maddie to the nearest hut where a couple of Far Frozen ghosts were kind enough to warm Maddie up while one of the ghosts ran to get a jacket from one of the other humans.

 **Well Maddie made it to the village, just in time for Jazz too.**

 **Poor Jazz though. She's in a really hard and stressful position.**

 **Will the others get to Danny in time?**

 **Did anyone guess that Samuel White was part of the Guys in White?**

 **Let me know your thoughts.**

 **Well. The vote is now closed. Do not vote now as it won't be counted and you may still be charged... yeah, I couldn't help but say that. But the poll is closed and for the first time it was a tie.**

 **However, I'm going to choose one for two reasons. One I'm in the middle of my exams so I don't have time to make an advert or go over the story. One has only recently been finished and I have yet to do both and the other is ready to go, chapter divisions and ad made. So, keep an eye out on my facebook page for that promised advert for the winner. Although it will probably be put up tomorrow. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19

Jazz sat opposite her mother as Maddie finally stopped shivering, sipping her third cup of hot chocolate.

"Jazz, what happened?" Maddie asked again.

"Mom… just warm up first. Okay," Jazz muttered softly. Maddie slammed her cup down, spilling half of it on the table carved out of ice.

"No Jazz! Now! I deserve to know what has happened to my son," Maddie exploded. Jazz flinched and opened her mouth but couldn't say it.

"Jazz… I'm too late aren't I?" Maddie whispered, her voice filled with dread and fear. Jazz gasped and shook her head.

"No! No mom! That's not it," Jazz exclaimed quickly.

"Then what's wrong? Jazz you're scaring me," Maddie implored worriedly.

Jazz bit her lip and sighed.

"Danny… Danny's in a bad way mom. He… he doesn't have much time," Jazz muttered sadly.

"But the doctors said twelve hours. Six worst case scenario. It's only been about three or four," Maddie pointed out. Jazz shook her head.

"That was as long as Danny rested. Something happened. Danny had no choice but to fight back and he exhausted himself. He's relying on an IV of energy stuff to keep him strong enough to stay awake. But the IV might be speeding up the poison and making him sick," Jazz explained carefully. Maddie gasped.

"How much time do we have then?" Maddie asked fearfully. Jazz shook her head.

"I-I didn't ask. I'm… I'm afraid of the answer," Jazz admitted quietly.

Maddie zipped up her jacket and stood up.

"Thank you for the hot chocolate. Jazz take me to your brother," Maddie ordered sternly, nodding to the ghostly yeti briefly in thanks. Jazz nodded numbly as she stood also.

"Which way is the medical facility?" Jazz asked the ghost, who had already begun clearing away the spilt hot drink.

"Turn left when you leave, third right and you should be pretty close to it," the ghost instructed. Jazz nodded and led the way through the ice village. Jazz recognised the icy hut where Samuel was being kept. Jazz paused.

"Jazz, this isn't the medical centre," Maddie grumbled getting impatient and worried.

"No. But it is where Ronald put the person who poisoned Danny," Jazz informed her. Maddie blinked in surprise and stormed into the hut.

The mother gasped as she saw Samuel tied to a chair. Ronald was sitting in another chair on the other side of the table. Jazz peered into the hut nervously. Maddie scowled furiously. She marched up to the man and slapped him in the face. Ronald jumped to his feet and held the woman back.

"You monster! Poisoning a child! A child who risked everything to save you from an asteroid!" Maddie screamed angrily.

"Calm down Maddie," Ronald grunted with the strain of holding the enraged mother back.

"Mom, he's with the Guys in White," Jazz called from the doorway. Maddie glanced at her daughter before struggling harder against Ronald.

"You people! Can't you just leave my son be?!" Maddie yelled. Samuel shook his head, only his slightly wide eyes showing his alarm at the situation.

"We'll leave that scum alone when we destroy him," Samuel snarled. Maddie spat on the undercover agent.

"You are blind! Blinded with hate! My son is no monster," Maddie growled.

"Maddie! Maddie maybe you should leave Samuel to me," Ronald reasoned. Maddie shrugged the man off herself.

"Fine. But this is far from over," Maddie hissed and stormed out of the hut, Jazz rushing after her mother.

"That man, that monster, offered to help get the venom. He was going to stop us saving my son," Maddie ranted. Jazz gasped.

"He did?" she breathed.

"Yes! He's lucky your father isn't here yet," Maddie snarled. Maddie took a deep calming breath before turning to Jazz.

"Please take me to Danny," Maddie requested softly, her anger fading into motherly fear and concern. Jazz licked her lips nervously and nodded. Jazz led the way to the medical facility.

"Before you go in, Danny... he's in a bad way. Just… be prepared okay?" Jazz warned before opening the door into the room Danny was in.

Jazz entered and walked over to Danny and took his hand, giving it a quick firm squeeze.

"Mom's here," she whispered as Maddie edged into the room, her eyes drawn to the IV pole feeding glowing green and blue liquids into her son and Frostbite's heavily bandaged shoulder. Danny turned his head towards the door and he smiled weakly at Maddie. It broke her heart to see her youngest child so weak. His ghostly aura was almost gone. Maddie walked slowly across the room.

"What happened?" she breathed worriedly, starting to put two and two together.

"Samuel attacked Danny. I was with Ronald, talking to Rebecca," Jazz answered softly, looking down ashamed and guilty.

Maddie pursed her lips worriedly as she took her son's other hand, the one the IV was connected to.

"I'm so sorry sweetie. I should have been here to protect you," she muttered.

"It's fine mom. Where are the others?" Danny croaked. Maddie pushed down her wave of sorrow after hearing his voice.

"They-they'll be here as soon as they can sweetie. They have the venom too," Maddie answered warmly.

"How did you get here?" Jazz inquired in confusion.

"I accidently told the Infi-map to bring me here," Maddie confessed with embarrassment, bringing the map out from her belt. Danny chuckled before lapsing into a coughing fit. Jazz automatically helped him sit up and handed him a tissue. Once Danny had recovered, he smirked.

"You need to watch what you say when you're holding the map. It doesn't take context into consideration," Danny commented. Maddie smiled softly.

"Sam and Tucker did mention something about that. I wasn't thinking when I asked though," Maddie replied.

"What's in the IV bag?" Maddie asked.

"Pure ectoplasm and raw ice energy. The ectoplasm is supposed to give me energy and the ice energy is keeping me cool and energising my core," Danny answered readily. Maddie nodded in understanding.

"I thought you told us pure ectoplasm makes you sick," Maddie pointed out.

"It does but any less and it wouldn't work. They kind of figured I'm sick already," Danny affirmed grimly. Maddie frowned worriedly.

"I'm glad you're safe mom. Are the others okay? No one got hurt, right, getting the venom?" Danny inquired. Maddie shook her head and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"No, they're fine. They're on their way alright? I'm sorry that I activated the map. We were planning to send Sam by map with some of the venom and bring the rest by Speeder in case Sam dropped the venom," Maddie replied.

Danny nodded in relief. He closed his eyes and listened to his sister and mother talk softly, making the occasionally comment or hummed an opinion. He didn't have the heart to tell them that he could hardly feel them holding his hands anymore. He couldn't feel his feet at all. But every time he started to cough, either Maddie or Jazz would help him sit up and hand him a tissue. After half an hour the ghost physicians tended to his IV bag, replacing the ghostly liquids, taking his core temperature, monitoring his deteriorating health.

Ronald came to visit a few minutes later. Danny opened his eyes tiredly to see who had entered. His vision was blurred and black dots filled his eyesight. He knew it wouldn't be long before he lost his sight.

"Hey, how are you coping?" Ronald inquired, not aiming the question to anyone in particular. Jazz bit her lip and shrugged.

"How are you feeling Danny?" Ronald asked gently.

"Fantastic," Danny croaked sarcastically. Ronald smiled apologetically.

"I've questioned Samuel, or rather Agent S, he corrected. He's as you thought Jazz, Guys in White. He wasn't co-operative but I think I know everything he did," Ronald informed them.

"Guys in White? Figures," Danny groaned. Ronald raised an eyebrow but didn't push that Jazz hadn't kept her brother informed. The teen was dying, he needed to conserve as much energy as possible.

"What did he do then?" Maddie pressed.

"Well, the Guys in White stuffed the lucky dip with as many entries as possible. Then they sent Agent S on the tour. He began to mentally map the way to the Far Frozen from your portal. He studied the Far Frozen for his… company I guess you could say. While we were visiting the places Frostbite directed us to, Agent S took the time to study the rest of us on the tour. Looking for weak links I suppose. He also took the time to study the Speeder, figuring out where the weapons were being held and how to sabotage it. When we stopped on the beach island, he went into the Speeder and stole a Fenton rifle and the map. Rebecca spotted him inside but he managed to gross her out enough to get his privacy. Saying he was changing his socks. Then when we discovered the missing map, he sat back and let Tucker get blamed," Ronald explained. Danny shut his eyes again and listened to what had led up to Samuel, or rather Agent S, attacking him at gun point in the medical facility.

"We changed course for the Fenton portal. Screwing up his mapping. When we stopped at that restaurant, Agent S left the restaurant on the pretence of needing to smoke. That was what he said to Lance in the Speeder. What he was really doing was using your tools to sabotage the Speeder once it reached a certain heat, meaning we would be far away from the restaurant and any of Danny's allies. It was pure luck that we were over an island when we crashed. He was careful not to cause so much damage that it would be impossible to repair. He had to leave the Ghost Zone after all," Ronald resumed. Jazz glanced at her mother who was gritting her teeth angrily, gripping Danny's hand tightly, not that the teen could feel it.

"He sabotaged the engine and the door. He also moved the toolbox so that it would be blown away from the Speeder, slowing down repairs further," Ronald started again.

"Why the door? Did he say?" Jazz interrupted in confusion.

"In case he didn't get an opportunity to poison me beforehand. He was gonna help me close it and pretend to almost fall out to get close," Danny mumbled recalling what the man had said while he held Danny at gun point. Everyone stared at him.

"Sweetie, how do you know that?" Maddie asked.

"He told me. When he tried to kill me here," Danny answered softly. Ronald nodded in agreement.

"That's what Agent S told me too. But he didn't need it. In the crash, Danny was thrown by the explosions onto him and while Danny struggled to get off, Agent S injected the poison into his leg. It wasn't part of the plan for Paulina to fall out, but… unfortunately it worked to his advantage. He separated us from Danny while the poison started to take effect," Ronald explained.

"The weird tiredness," Danny mumbled. Ronald nodded.

"Yes. When Agent S saw the poison wasn't working fast enough, during the search for our belongings, he found a wolf den. He… destroyed it. Angering the ghosts. He returned to us and waited for the impending attack. During the attack, he protected us humans but not Danny. In fact he mentioned that he almost got the chance to shoot Danny when he returned but Sam and Tucker stopped him. We, as you know, defended ourselves and flew to safety. When we landed on that pyramid island, Agent S didn't volunteer for two reasons, to reduce our chances and in case he got the opportunity to harm Danny. The poison wasn't as fast as he had anticipated," Ronald resumed. Ronald paused to glance at Maddie who looked furious. He'd asked a Far Frozen ghost to guard Agent S, ordering that no one may enter without his say so. Right now, he didn't trust the woman to not do something rash in her angered and vengeful state of mind.

"We then came here. You sent the bags to where the others were waiting for news, unfortunately Agent S had placed the stolen Fenton rifle in his bag. He knew when you left that we were on to him and slipped off first chance he got. Thankfully he didn't know where the medical facility was and we realised he had lied and gone AWOL before he could carry out his intentions," Ronald concluded. Maddie shook her head.

"We should have had better security. We've tried to be careful. Restricted what weapons the public had access to. We're working on making our weapons recognise Danny's ecto-signature so that they can't be used against him. But on this tour, our excitement got the better of us," Maddie muttered miserably.

"It's s'okay mom," Danny slurred weakly.

Jazz turned to her brother urgently. She gripped his hand tightly.

"Danny?" she called worriedly. He sounded much weaker. Almost like he was about to pass out.

"Thanks Jazz," Danny breathed as a white light grew around his waist. The physicians ran to Danny's side and gently pushed the humans out of their way.

"We're gonna need stronger concentrations," one of the physicians remarked fearfully.

"What's happening?!" Maddie exclaimed.

"He's starting to fade," Frostbite murmured as he joined the small group.

"But… he can't! The venom will be here! Any minute," Maddie retorted panicked. Frostbite fixed the woman with a sympathetic gaze.

"We are doing all we can. But… sometimes all we have, isn't enough," Frostbite commented sadly.

 **So, that's what Samuel did during the tour.**

 **Will the Far Frozen ghosts stop Danny from dying? Or has our hero finally given up the ghost? Sorry, couldn't help myself there.**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	20. Chapter 20

Sam didn't move from her seat. She kept her seatbelt on and hugged the precious venom to her chest. It was too important to put down. What if a ghost attacked the Speeder and Tucker had to dodge? The venom might be spilt. And that was not an option right now. As the minutes trickled by, Sam grew more and more fearful. She had a bad feeling in her gut. The same feeling she had when Vlad started his campaign to renew everything in Amity Park by tearing down the old, which included trees and angered Undergrowth. The same feeling she had when Danny started acting weird when Circus Gothica was in town. The same feeling when the non-functioning portal clicked into whirring life with her friend still inside.

They'd been flying for longer than two hours. Jack had been right. The engine was damaged. Not severely but enough to slow them down. And stopping for repairs was deemed too time consuming. So they flew as fast as the damaged engine would allow. Tucker abandoned being subtle, capitalising on the fact that the Speeder was a Real World item in the Ghost Zone, charging through rocks and islands alike. The first time, Jack had shouted in alarm and attempted to grab the controls back but once they emerged safe and sound, Jack calmed down. After two hours of phasing through floating rock, the novelty had worn off.

With a soft, relieved gasp, Sam spotted the glistening icy cave entrance to the Far Frozen ahead of them.

"Almost there," Tucker called, almost as though he needed the reassurance rather than Sam.

"You alright back there Sam?" Jack asked over his shoulder. Sam nodded and hummed loudly in confirmation. Tucker wove in between the icicles.

"Why can't we go through them too?" Jack wondered.

"Ghost ice works different to ghost rock and stuff. We're not sure why but it does," Tucker answered with a shrug.

Within minutes they reached the tundra beyond and were speeding as fast as possible towards Frostbite's village. They landed in the village square. They quickly shrugged on their snow jackets and left the Speeder, Sam clutching the carton of venom to herself. They walked as quickly as they could while making sure not to endanger the venom. They soon reached the medical facility. Sam entered first and made her way across the core emergency room and into the back room. As she entered, she gasped. Danny was on the bed she left him on but she couldn't believe how much worse he was. He had an IV attached to his arm, feeding bright green ectoplasm and light blue ice energy into him. He also had a mask on his face which faintly hissed as gas pumped through it.

Jazz and Maddie sat beside the bed. Jazz was softly sniffing, clearly having recently stopped crying. Maddie had an arm around her daughter, holding Jazz to her, rubbing Jazz's back in gentle, reassuring circles. Maddie's other hand held Danny's hand on the bed, gingerly running her thumb over his knuckles. The mother had red puffy eyes and her expression was frozen into a worried frown. Jack pushed gently passed Sam and ran to his family, Sam and Tucker having frozen in shock.

"Maddie, Jazz. What happened?!" Jack exclaimed fearfully.

"Oh Jack!" Maddie cried and erupted in relieved tears.

"You have the venom right?" Jazz pressed urgently. The three physicians looked up from their work and ran to Sam, seeing that she was carrying a vessel.

"Is that it? We've no time to lose," one of the ghosts inquired, taking it from Sam quickly when the Goth gave a nod before rushing over to their work station. Sam and Tucker blinked and edged closer. They looked to the halfa. His eyes were open but were glazed over, unseeing. His ghostly aura was invisible in the bright lights. His neon green eyes, although unusually brilliant green, their glow was gone. His stark white hair had dulled to an almost dirty grey. His face was drawn and pale.

"What happened to him? He's looks…" Sam whispered, shaking her head, unable to finish the thought. Jazz sighed softly and turned to the three newcomers.

"Samuel's with the Guys in White. Agent S. He attacked Danny," Jazz explained, hissing Samuel's two names with hatred. Jack, Sam and Tucker were horrified.

"Did he hurt Danny? Or did Frostbite and the other ghosts stop him?" Tucker asked worriedly. Jazz shook her head.

"Frostbite was the only one here with Danny at the time. The doctors were getting materials and research to help them. Ronald and I realised that Agent S was missing and came here. Ronald was amazing. Fought off Agent S just in time. Together, me and Danny knocked Agent S out. That's when things started going wrong. Danny was so exhausted, he nearly passed out. The doctors set up the IV with pure ectoplasm and raw ice energy to give Danny enough energy to stay awake," Jazz explained.

"Then about twenty minutes ago, Danny got worse. He almost changed to human. The doctors made the IV liquids stronger and added the gas. It's adrenaline. It's keeping his body in an alert state but Danny's… he's so ill his mind has shut down. He's awake but unaware of what's going on," Maddie added. Sam turned to her boyfriend with wide, fearful eyes.

"So… he doesn't know we're here," Tucker mumbled sadly. Jazz and Maddie shook their heads forlornly.

One of the physicians rushed to Danny's side with the glowing purple venom in a plastic IV bag and attached it to Danny's IV line in addition to the concentrated pure ectoplasm and ice energy.

"How long will that take to work?" Jack inquired.

"Hard to say. We've never worked with this cure before. Hopefully it'll be fast acting though," the ghost replied.

"I'll go and inform Frostbite," another physician announced and left the room. The third ghost found three more seats for Jack, Sam and Tucker.

They sat down and waited anxiously for Danny's condition to improve. Jack, Sam and Tucker listened to Jazz and Maddie as they explained what they had learned about what Agent S had done and Jazz told them exactly what had happened after the others left to find the venom. Then Maddie, Jack, Sam and Tucker told Jazz about what they'd been through. Then they started to discuss new ideas on how they could protect Danny from the Guys in White or anyone else who might be willing to hurt Danny.

Almost forty minutes later, Danny seemed to start waking up. He blinked his eyes a few times and slowly, stiffly shifted his arms. One of the physicians hurried over and removed the gas mask, turning off the adrenaline. The second physician, the third having not returned, came over and waved a paw in front of Danny's eyes.

"Can you follow my hand great one? Danny," the ghost requested, amending what he called the halfa as the teen was bound to be disorientated. Danny grunted softly and his eyes followed the ghost's hand movements. Danny's loved ones didn't dare say a word in case they distracted Danny or overwhelmed him.

"How do you feel?" the ghost asked gently. Danny slowly opened his mouth slightly but only a soft straggled noise escaped.

"It's alright. I'm going to remove the ectoplasm and ice energy bags. Then you should get some sleep okay," the ghost quickly assured the halfa.

Danny's loved ones watched hopefully as the ghosts removed the two IV bags from Danny's IV line, leaving the healing venom. The moment the bags were removed, Danny's eyes fluttered shut and a band of white light appeared around his waist, changing him into his human half.

"Is he going to be okay?" Sam asked, breaking the silence that fell. Both physicians shared a look before nodding.

"We believe so. He seemed alert mentally but his body is exhausted. We believe some rest and continued administration of the venom will fix that. Perhaps you should take some time to rest or unwind yourselves. We will be here if anything happens," one of the physicians answered.

Maddie nudged her daughter to her feet.

"Sweetie, you go and get something to eat. Let Ronald and the others know that Danny's on the mend. Take Sam and Tucker with you. Your father and I will stay with Danny," Maddie decided, nodding encouragingly to the three teens.

"Yeah, and Tucker can get changed too," Jack agreed with another encouraging nod. Jazz glanced at her sleeping brother before sighing and complying, pulling Sam and Tucker out of the room after her.

As the three teens left the medical facility, they paused before entering the cave where the tour group were waiting.

"I'm surprised you didn't argue Jazz," Sam remarked.

"Honestly, I'm exhausted. You guys weren't here. It was horrible. Being alone, watching Danny getting worse and being unable to contact you guys. I didn't know if you'd be back in ten minutes or ten hours and Danny… he was just as scared as me. But if the ghosts here say Danny will be fine, I believe them," Jazz replied calmly.

"It was that bad?" Tucker whispered. Jazz nodded.

"Ronald's certain that Samu-Agent S is the only enemy we have?" Sam asked. Jazz nodded.

The red head led the way into the cave where the tour group had gathered together with most holding a steaming cup of tea or coffee in their hands. They jumped to their feet though when they saw the three teens arrive.

"Sam! Tucker! Did you get the cure?" Paulina exclaimed hopefully. Both teens gave small smiles and nodded in confirmation.

"So Danny's better now?" Dash asked happily.

"He's getting better. The doctors let him sleep which is a good sign," Jazz answered with a tired smile.

"That's wonderful news. Come on you three, you should have something to eat and I insist on making you my herbal tea," Andrea fussed over them, leading them to the buffet table while Ronald and Lance grabbed three seats for the teens.

Sam and Tucker sat down and Jazz sipped at the herbal tea Andrea handed her. None of them were really in the mood to eat but they obediently nibbled on a few snacks.

"Can we see him now… or when he wakes up?" Paulina ventured after a few minutes of heavy silence. Sam and Tucker glared at her angrily.

"Sorry, I asked Danny earlier and he did say yes but now's not a good time," Jazz answered quietly. Sam and Tucker turned to her, starting to understand how difficult it had been for the girl. She had been the person everyone turned to for answers and she was just as lost as them.

"He's sleeping now anyway. His parents are with him," Sam added. Paulina looked ready to argue but Ronald nodded.

"We respect that. Danny has had a tough few hours. The least we can do is give him and his family some space and privacy," Ronald interjected sternly, shooting Paulina a firm look. Paulina shut her mouth and nodded in understanding and agreement.

Some of the tour group members decided to get some sleep as everyone was exhausted from the stressful few hours that had transpired. Ronald left to check on Agent S but opted not to tell the man that Danny was finally getting treated. For now Agent S was compliant and not attempting to escape. But if they told the man that Danny was no longer dying, Agent S may try to escape and kill Danny. But Ronald wasn't going to turn his back in case Agent S got ideas and tried to escape anyway. Some of the others sat by Jazz, Sam or Tucker to lend their support and comfort.

Maddie and Jack sat in the medical facility beside their son. Both parents waited worriedly for their son to wake up. Waiting for this horrible crisis to finally be over. It had been so close. Too close. Maddie leaned into her husband and held Danny's hand firmly in hers. Jack held his wife to him and tried to give her all the comfort and support she needed while he watched his son fearfully. He wouldn't feel relieved until he saw his son healthy again. His son, his hero, had never looked so weak and defenceless. Having seen his son mentally unconscious with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling without actually seeing it. And when he came around, he was so weak he couldn't speak, could hardly move. It was heart breaking but at least his son was healing now. They could only hope that Danny would have a full recovery.

Frostbite visited half an hour later and walked over to the parents and recovering teen.

"I apologise for not coming earlier. I have been officially placing guards on your prisoner and organising repairs for your ship. Is there anything you need?" Frostbite boomed as he entered. Maddie numbly shook her head and Jack muttered a subdued thanks to the ghost. The Far Frozen leader had been extremely generous so far. Giving them somewhere to stay and wait, treating Danny, repairing the Speeder, twice now, giving them a place to hold Agent S and guarding him. Both parents could never hope to repay the ghost for all he had done and that wasn't even mentioning how the ghost was injured protecting Danny. Frostbite nodded and pulled one of the physicians to one side to have a private word while the other ensured the IV line was running correctly and that Danny was getting better. The teen's complexion was already returning to normal and the rattle in his chest was gradually fading too.

 **Whew! Just in time.**

 **So just a few chapters wrapping everything up. After all, they need to finish up the tour.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **A couple of people asked, and although it's pretty obvious now, no Danielle isn't in this fanfic.**

 **Second, I will put that ad up on my facebook page today. It slipped my mind yesterday due to studying but I will put it up. Promise.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	21. Chapter 21

Danny slowly regained consciousness. It was like pulling himself out of a deep dark murky ocean. It was slow and hard work. He didn't feel ready just yet but he knew he had to. Sounds began to breach the darkness around him. Soft beeps and gentle whirring. There were quiet voices too. They sounded familiar but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying yet. But the more he heard them, the more Danny wanted to pull himself out of the darkness.

"Jack, I think… I think Danny's waking up," a woman's voice whispered. Danny drew himself towards the voice.

"Hang on, I'll get the doctors," a male voice muttered and Danny heard footsteps fade away from him.

"Danny, sweetie, can you hear me?" the woman mumbled and distantly he felt something touching his hand. Suddenly Danny recognised who this woman was, it was his mother.

"Great one? Danny. If you can hear us, give us a sign," a new voice requested. Danny tried to comply but it was so difficult. He renewed his efforts to drag himself out of the darkness. Slowly, painfully slowly, his eyes opened. The lights were blinding. His eyes slammed shut again.

"Danny? Son?" his father called softly, encouragingly. Danny carefully opened his eyes again and his tired eyes adjusted to the light reflecting brightly off the icy walls around him.

As his eyes adjusted, he recognised the figures around him. A large man in an orange jumpsuit with greying black hair stood behind a seated woman wearing a blue jumpsuit with short reddish brown hair who was holding Danny's hand. There was a large softly glowing creature wearing green rags with shaggy white fur and icy horns.

"Sweetheart?" Maddie asked hopefully. Danny blinked.

"Mom?" Danny croaked.

"That's right sweetie. How do you feel?" Maddie replied gently. Danny considered the question. He felt tired. But as he recalled how he felt before everything went dark, he instantly knew he felt better. His vision was clear. He could feel his mother holding his hand. His throat didn't feel like sandpaper anymore. He still felt unwell and weak, but he didn't feel like he was dying anymore.

"Better," Danny eventually answered.

Maddie grinned happily and glanced up at her husband who looked just as relieved and overjoyed as she did. Suddenly there were loud footsteps running into the room. Danny carefully turned his head and saw Jazz, Sam and Tucker running into the room ahead of another Far Frozen ghost wearing green rags.

"Danny!" Jazz shouted with relief. Danny smiled at them.

"Hi," Danny greeted them softly. Sam sprinted to him and hugged him.

"Don't do that again! You scared me," Sam exclaimed. Danny chuckled weakly.

"I'll try," he mumbled.

"Yeah dude. When we got here you looked terrible," Tucker remarked, patting Danny on the shoulder. Danny gagged.

"Geez, Tuck did you fall in a sewer?" Danny choked. Tucker huffed in annoyance.

"No. Grateful much," Tucker grumbled. Danny smiled apologetically.

"Sorry Tuck," Danny replied.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked.

"Still tired and sick but a lot better. Thanks you guys," Danny answered. They all smiled at him.

"Any time little brother," Jazz retorted warmly.

"Great one, we should check your progress," one of the physicians interjected. Danny turned to the ghost and tiredly nodded.

"Come on mom. Dad. You guys should get something to eat. We'll be back in a bit Danny," Jazz encouraged and led her parents out of the medical facility and into the cave opposite. The group of people there looked up.

"How's Danny?" Rebecca called.

"Better. A lot better," Sam answered happily as she entered the cave behind the Fentons with Tucker.

The physicians took Danny's temperature and were glad to conclude that the temperature had returned to normal. They checked his vision and reflexes which were all normal. They asked Danny to change to his ghost form and examined him further. His core temperature was back to normal and his ghostly glow was as strong as ever. His hair was pure white and his eyes burned luminous green. They asked Danny to form an ecto-blast which was its normal bright green.

"Do you have any lingering pains? Problems?" one of the physicians pressed.

"I just feel sick and tired," Danny replied.

"Could be lingering effects of the ectoplasm in your system," the other ghost commented. Danny nodded in understanding.

"How do I fix that?" Danny asked. He just wanted to feel better. After being on death's door, Danny was desperate to just feel normal again.

"It may take some time for it to get through your system. But I think the poison is gone," the ghost explained and removed the IV from Danny's arm.

"But it may take a little longer to recover your energy," the other ghost added with a smile.

"I'll get you something to eat," the first ghost offered and left the room.

"Did I miss anything?" Danny asked. The remaining ghost shook his head.

"I don't believe so but I'm sure your loved ones will inform you of anything important," the ghost answered calmly as he tidied away everything from treating Danny. Danny allowed himself to close his eyes and rest. A few minutes later the ghost returned and helped Danny to sit up, propping the teen up with numerous pillows. The meal was easy to eat with no need to chew. It was bland but not horrible. However after only a few mouthfuls, Danny pushed his upper body over the edge of the bed and vomited into the bucket he had used previously and dropped his bloodied tissues in. The bucket was filled with glowing green and blue liquid. The physician helped Danny sit back up.

Danny shuddered as he recovered. However he suddenly felt a lot better. His nausea was gone. He still felt tired but he did feel better.

"How do you feel now? Hopefully that's all the ectoplasm out of your system," the ghost inquired worriedly. Danny nodded and smiled shakily.

"Yeah, I feel better now. Thanks," Danny muttered. The ghost nodded and took away the food, seeing that Danny had lost his appetite and retrieved a glass of water for the teen instead and removed the bucket, confident that Danny would no longer require it. Danny sipped the water gratefully, happy to cool the acidic after taste in his mouth.

A few minutes later, Danny's loved ones returned. They were all glad to see Danny looking alert. Danny turned to them and smiled.

"Hey," Danny greeted them.

"Wow, someone's feeling better," Sam remarked with a smirk, perching on the bed next to her boyfriend.

"Yeah, lots. What happened to the others?" Danny replied.

"They're nearby. They're fine. They've been worried about you but you can worry about them later," Jazz answered. Danny frowned.

"Where's Agent S?" Danny asked with a scowl.

"You have to take it easy," Maddie reprimanded worriedly.

"Yeah dude, you shouldn't be worried about that jerk," Tucker agreed. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Guys, I just want to know that he's taken care of," Danny retorted.

"Relax little brother, everything's under control, okay?" Jazz assured him.

"That's right son. That monster isn't going to get anywhere near you again," Jack affirmed firmly.

Danny opened his mouth to argue but he stopped and smiled warmly at his loved ones. It was so nice to hear that they cared so much and would protect him no matter what. Danny was still a little worried that his parents were struggling with having a halfa for a son, especially with having Phantom as their son. But this entire incident had only assured Danny that his parents were completely fine with who and what he was.

"Is there anything I should know then?" Danny asked instead.

"Dude, take it easy. You were poisoned. Just focus on getting back on your feet before stressing over that," Tucker retorted with a soft chuckle. Danny smirked and shook his head.

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired," Danny assured them.

"But you said you felt sick," Sam reminded him worriedly.

"Not anymore. It was because of the ectoplasm and stuff in my system. I er I got sick a little while ago. I'm fine. Just… you know a bit weak," Danny elaborated.

The door swung open and Frostbite entered the room, grinning happily at Danny.

"Great one. I'm glad to see you well on the way to recovery. Is everything to your liking? Do you need anything?" Frostbite greeted warmly. Danny smiled broadly.

"Thanks Frostbite. You've done so much for me. How's the shoulder?" Danny replied. Frostbite laughed heartily and rolled his injured shoulder gently.

"I will heal. It will not hinder me in the meantime. And as for what we've done… it is the least we could do in return for what you have done for all of us. We were glad to come to your aid," Frostbite answered kindly. Danny blushed slightly and smiled with mild embarrassment. Frostbite spoke with the physicians and one was excused, no longer required to care for the halfa.

After an hour, Danny felt ready to try eating again and ate a bowl of food the physician retrieved for him without incident. Confident that he was truly feeling better, he asked to see Ronald. Everyone was surprised but Jazz offered to get the detective for her brother. Sam and Tucker decided to spend some time with the tour group. They all realised that the group had been ignored a great deal over the last few hours in the chaos when they were fretting over Danny as the poison slowly killed him.

Jazz walked in with Ronald twenty minutes later. Danny smiled at the detective as the man walked nervously into the room.

"Danny, good to see you recovering. How do you feel?" Ronald greeted with a kind smile. Danny nodded.

"A lot better. I wanted to thank you. For being there for Jazz and dealing with Agent S for us," Danny replied. Ronald blinked before giving a small self-conscious chuckle.

"I only wanted to help. And this is my job," Ronald muttered as he walked closer to Danny's side.

"No. Ronald I may have been really sick, but I know what you did for me and my sister. I know you offered to hunt down who poisoned me. I know that you stopped Agent S killing me when he had me pinned down and helpless. I know that you helped Jazz cope while my parents and Sam and Tucker were looking for a cure for me. That is something I can't repay. I'm in debt to you Ronald. If you ever need help, I'll help, no questions asked," Danny retorted firmly. Ronald blinked in surprise while Jazz, Maddie and Jack shared stunned looks. They hadn't been entirely sure of what Danny recalled as he had been so exhausted most of the time and dying.

Danny held out a gloved hand, he was back in his ghost form as he preferred that form in the Ghost Zone. Ronald shook the teen's hand.

"I mean it Ronald. Any time. Helping out the man that saved my life is the least I can do. I'll even give you my cell number," Danny added with a smile. Ronald smiled back, clearly a little taken aback by Danny's generous offer.

"I… don't know what to say. That's a very… kind offer. Very kind," Ronald mumbled. Danny gave a curt nod as the handshake was broken.

"Like I said. You saved my life. It's the least I can do," Danny replied calmly.

"Maybe you should fully recover before saying those kinds of things. Think them through with a clear head," Ronald suggested, worried that Danny was making a promise he didn't understand the gravity of.

"Ronald, the only reason I'm still here is because I haven't gotten my strength back fully yet. I have recovered. And I know what I'm offering. And I'm not going to change my mind. Just uh you know be reasonable. I do get pretty busy," Danny decided.

Ronald looked to Danny's family but they were just smiling.

"We feel the same Ronald. You are always welcome at Fenton Works. We'll even provide you with ghost weapons. All you have to do is ask," Maddie confirmed.

"Yeah, I don't know how we could have coped without you Ronald. Especially me," Jazz agreed.

"That's right. Ronald, you're a family friend now. We want to keep in touch after this. You saved my son. We will never forget that," Jack added with a broad grin and encouraging nod.

Ronald excused himself a few minutes later to keep an eye on Agent S. Maddie and Jack left to explore the village now that they knew Danny was safe, they felt it was alright to leave him alone for a little while. Jazz sat down beside her brother and smiled at him.

"So, anyone else you want to see?" she asked. Danny bit his lip and nodded.

"I want to talk to Agent S," Danny answered. Jazz blinked in shock.

"Danny, I really don't think that's a good idea," Jazz replied worriedly.

"Jazz. I don't want to fight him. I just want to speak with the man that wants me dead," Danny retorted.

"Why? Do you want to ask him why he did it? Because I can tell you," Jazz inquired. Danny shook his head.

"No. I know why. He told when he had me at gun point. But it's one thing to keep him talking to stall and it's another to speak to him when the timer isn't ticking," Danny corrected. Jazz bit her lip uncertainly.

"Is it a good idea though? When you're so weak," Jazz pointed out with concern. Danny sighed.

"If I can walk to wherever Agent S is, will you let me see him?" Danny bargained. Jazz chewed her lip lightly.

"It's not really my say. Ronald is in charge of Agent S," Jazz admitted.

"But we can ask. If Ronald says no, then I can't do anything, I know. But please Jazz, let me ask him," Danny replied.

"Why didn't you ask mom and dad?" Jazz wondered curiously.

"I knew they'd say no. They're stuck in protective parent mode. But I'm fine now," Danny answered.

"How do you know I'm not stuck in protective sister mode?" Jazz retorted with a raised eyebrow. Danny snorted.

"You're always in protective sister mode. But even when you're like this, you're more reasonable than mom and dad. Please Jazz, I want to do this. I'm gonna have to face him at some point," Danny responded. Jazz sighed again before nodding reluctantly.

"Ok. But… if you're not strong enough to walk there, you're coming straight back and resting," Jazz decided sternly.

 **Danny's better!**

 **What do you think Danny wants to talk to Agent S about?**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **The advert is up! Check it out on my facebook page. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	22. Chapter 22

Jazz trailed along worriedly behind her brother. He had managed to get off his bed with only a stumble as he got his footing. It was obvious he was weak. He walked slowly. Paused a couple of times and the stairs up from the medical facility had taken a good five minutes to scale. The physician had followed the teens up the steps in case Danny hurt himself by pushing himself too much. But having managed the stairs without any help other than the wall and a couple of breaks, the ghost decided that Danny had recovered enough to leave the medical facility. It was definitely a bittersweet moment for Jazz. She was overjoyed that her brother was deemed well enough to leave the medical facility. But she was worried and concerned about him facing Agent S so soon. Ronald hadn't let another human in to see the almost murderer since Maddie barged in and shouted at the restrained man.

The ten minute walk to the icy hut took extra long as Danny didn't want to completely exhaust himself in just getting to the location Agent S was being held at. When he finally reached the guard posted outside the hut, he was relieved and leant against the wall while he got his breath back.

"So, did I pass your test Jazz?" Danny inquired after a few minutes. Jazz sighed but had to admit that he had. She could see that he wasn't pushing himself too far. She could also see the determination shining through the exhaustion on his face. She wasn't so sure anymore that he would walk away without asking Ronald now that he was here even if she said no.

"Alright, but… are you sure you want to face him? I would understand if you didn't," Jazz inquired hopefully. Danny nodded.

"I want to see him Jazz," Danny answered firmly. Jazz sighed again and turned to the guard to ask them to call Ronald out for them. Ronald stepped out of the hut and gaped at Danny standing beside Jazz.

"He wants to see Agent S. But I told him that he has to ask you," Jazz explained, pleading with her eyes for him to say no. Ronald turned to Danny and considered the teen.

"Ronald, please. I'm not gonna make a scene, I promise," Danny pressed hopefully. Ronald glanced at Jazz once more before he gave a nod.

"I can understand that you want to face him. I just want you to be sure that you're ready. A lot of people think they're ready for this when they aren't and breakdown. So, are you ready?" Ronald asked. Danny considered what the detective said before nodding.

"I am," Danny decided.

Ronald sighed but didn't change his mind, he led Danny into the hut, Jazz opting to wait outside. She wasn't ready to face the man who tried to kill her brother, and both Jazz and Ronald knew that. Agent S looked up ready to complain about having a babysitter when he saw Danny. His eyes narrowed coldly.

"You're supposed to be dead," Agent S growled. Danny shrugged.

"It's weird you say that. Tucker said the same thing during his freak out after I became half-ghost," Danny remarked casually. Ronald blinked in surprise at Danny's tone. Agent S snarled angrily at the teen as he pulled out a chair and dropped on to it.

"Why aren't you?" Agent S pressed after a few minutes of silence.

"My parents, Sam and Tucker got a cure for me in time. I thought that was obvious. But I guess I could have become a full ghost but let me assure you I'm not," Danny answered thoughtfully. Agent S gritted his teeth as Danny returned to another calm silence.

"What do you want?" Agent S hissed. Danny shrugged.

"I thought that we could have a little chat. We never really got to do that before you poisoned me. I think the longest we spoke was when you held that gun to my forehead," Danny replied, eerily calm despite what he was saying. Ronald was starting to worry about the halfa's mental well-being.

Agent S impatiently nodded his head in a "go on" motion.

"Why do the Guys in White hate ghosts? And if you spew that prejudice nonsense about all ghosts being evil I'm gonna get annoyed," Danny asked. Agent S scowled at Danny.

"But they are," the man retorted. Danny frowned angrily at the agent.

"Have you been paying attention to anything on this tour? How can you say ghosts are evil? Frostbite gave us a place to stay while I was unwell, gave us a map to see amazing places in the Ghost Zone. Gavin, the barman in that restaurant. He gave us a really good discount on everything we bought and even found you all stuff you could safely eat or drink. That ghost wolf pack only attacked because you wrecked their home. And the mummy ghosts only attacked because we broke their rules and trespassed on their sacred land. If you can honestly say that you wouldn't do the same, then you're deluded," Danny replied heatedly.

"They were kind to their own kind," Agent S pointed out. Danny scoffed.

"You think ghosts see me as their kind? They don't! I'm a halfa. Too human for a lot of ghosts' comfort. Too ghost obviously for you lot. I am respected by _some_ ghosts because I don't go around trying to destroy them all. I'm respected because I have actually helped them in the past," Danny corrected sharply. Agent S shrugged.

"I've seen how you act. You consider yourself one of them," Agent S retorted. Danny rolled his glowing green eyes.

"Whatever. I think you're mistaking manners for belonging personally. How long did it take you to make that poison?" Danny resumed. Agent S shrugged.

"I'm a field agent. That's lab stuff," Agent S answered. Ronald listened in stunned silence. Agent S was being a lot more forthcoming with his answers for Danny than he had been for Ronald.

The hut fell into another silence as Danny considered what he should ask next. He was also enjoying making the restrained man sweat and making him impatient. It may have been a little petty to make things as long and nerve wracking as he could in return for almost killing him, but honestly Danny couldn't care less. He was a teenager and this man tried to kill him. He could be excused for being a little childish or petty.

"What was the plan after I died?" Danny wondered. Agent S raised an eyebrow.

"There was no plan. You'd be gone. That was the goal," Agent S admitted. Danny nodded slightly in understanding.

"You do realise that Amity Park and probably a lot of other places would be infested with ghosts if I weren't around right? Getting rid of me would make the ghost problem a hundred times worse. And the world would want answers," Danny pointed out. Agent S scoffed.

"We could have handled the ghosts. And your death would have been passed off as an unfortunate incident due to illness without a cure, contracted because of the abomination you are," Agent S answered cruelly.

"You couldn't handle me. You had to get close and poison me. What makes you think you could ever handle ghosts as strong if not stronger than me?" Danny pressed sceptically. Agent S narrowed his eyes but didn't reply.

Danny considered the man for a few minutes, deep in thought. He knew why this man tried to kill him. He knew how. He knew what they planned afterwards. He knew how the man had gotten close enough to poison him. He didn't need answers anymore.

"You know, I always knew you lot wouldn't leave me alone," Danny commented as the agent opened his mouth to growl something. Ronald blinked in surprise and glanced at the teen. He was sitting comfortably, like he was talking to anyone, not the man who attempted to kill him. Agent S narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"How?" he growled. Danny shrugged.

"I know how you lot tend to be idiots. A few things that I've seen due to my ghostly connections. And call it survival instinct," Danny answered.

"And you set up this tour," Agent S pointed out.

"Not my idea. Got talked into it, and pressured by the press," Danny retorted.

"But I'm surprised your first question was how and not why haven't I done anything," Danny commented. Agent S frowned in confusion.

"Tucker's been working on legally making it illegal for you to come to Amity Park. Make it harder for you to attack me or arrest me. My parents have tried to restrict who they sell their weapons to and which ones. Sam's very up to date with anti-ghost laws. Jazz has been trying to psycho-analyse you lot to figure out why you do what you do and stop it that way," Danny informed him. Agent S blinked before nervously licking his lips.

"So why haven't you done anything?" he asked. Danny nodded, the man was starting to realise what he should be asking.

"Two reasons. The first, I never saw you guys as much of a threat. You're a bunch of idiots that I just have to dump a bucket of mud on to defeat. Maybe a bit cocky, I know. But you've never gotten close before today. And to do that, you went under deep cover," Danny replied calmly. Agent S scowled angrily at the teen.

"The second was because of something everyone always says when people close to me explain how dangerous you _could_ be to me. I'm half human. There's laws. They'd never dare attack you now they know. But we knew different," Danny quickly continued before Agent S could retort. Ronald glanced at Danny, admitting to himself that he had had the same thoughts.

"So this is why I did nothing. Because I knew you morons would mess up and attack me sooner or later. Now I can take your entire group, company, sector, whatever you call yourselves, to court. And I think we both know who's going to win that trial," Danny resumed angrily, betraying his true feelings.

"You have no real proof. You have circumstantial proof and dubious eye witnesses. No one is going to listen to a ghost," Agent S whispered.

Danny smirked proudly and withdrew his phone from his jumpsuit pocket.

"Oh, look. Proof. I've been recording. I think this "circumstantial proof" would be enough to get _you_ at least imprisoned for attempted murder of a world hero minor," Danny remarked smugly.

"That's illegal," Agent S spluttered.

"Is it? I'm not questioning you. I just came for a talk. And last I looked, ghosts weren't tied to your laws. For anyone listening, I'm currently Phantom," Danny concluded and turned off the recording.

"As Vlad would say, checkmate. I may not be good at chess, but I do know a thing or two about manipulating people that underestimate me. If Vlad taught me anything, it was how to use the system against others. Next time, I'd reconsider attacking a halfa," Danny added before getting up.

"This isn't over," Agent S shouted furiously.

"No, it isn't. Because I'm not stopping until the Guys in White are shut down. I may not consider myself a ghost, but I do see their side. I'm done talking to you," Danny retorted and promptly walked out. Ronald gaped at the teen before following quickly behind.

"You knew this would happen?" he whispered in awe once outside with the siblings. Danny shook his head.

"No. I didn't think they'd go so low as to poison me. I was expecting more what happened in the medical facility, you know pointing guns at me and so on. But I've been waiting for them to make their move. Tucker, Sam and I have planned all along to record our next encounter with the Guys in White," Danny revealed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jazz interjected, hurt lacing her voice. Danny shrugged.

"No offense Jazz. You're not really on the front lines much. It was Tucker's idea and Sam added that whole legal element that I should do it as Phantom. Tucker could swing it that he records everything since he's a techno-geek. Sam would get in the most trouble but she can afford good lawyers. No harm done Jazz," Danny appeased her.

"I can't believe… how were you so calm? When did you switch on your phone?" Ronald stammered.

"I know how to keep my cool if I have to. Although saying that, some things cause me to lose my temper quickly. Trying to kill me isn't one of them though. Kind of used to it. And I switched my phone on when Jazz asked the guard to get you. Sorry I didn't tell you Ronald, but there wasn't much time beforehand that I couldn't have without tipping off Agent S. I'll get Tucker to make a few copies for you and the court. Because yes, I'm pursuing this," Danny answered. Ronald nodded numbly.

"Mind if I go find the others? Or do you have more questions?" Danny asked. Ronald shook his head and watched Danny walk down the snowy street with his sister.

Ronald blinked and shook the shock from himself before stepping back into the hut to keep Agent S company. The man looked livid. Red faced, panting furiously, grumbling obscenities about Danny under his breath. It almost made Ronald laugh. This previous government agent had been bested by a teenager. He was starting to see how Vlad had managed to become Mayor and stay there. How Danny kept his secret for so long, even from his parents. The teen was impressive.

 **And Danny has the last laugh.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **So one more chapter left. Tomorrow the first chapter of the next fanfic will be put up too, so make sure to check out my advert on my facebook page. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	23. Chapter 23

When Danny walked into the cave opposite the medical facility he was bombarded with concerned people fussing over him and asking how he felt. Dash made loud comments about how much he disliked Samuel and Paulina angrily remarked on how horrible Samuel was to even want to harm Danny. Sam however ignored the group and reprimanded him for not taking it easy. After twenty minutes, Danny was finally able to sink into a chair beside Tucker and pull out his phone for the techno-geek to copy the recording he made. Tucker and Sam were upset that he'd confronted Agent S without them knowing but when they listened to the recording quietly, they were all grinning triumphantly on how brilliantly their plan had worked.

An hour later, the Speeder was repaired and ready for departure. Maddie took the steering wheel and Agent S was bound safely in the back of the Speeder beside Ronald. Lance's camera was returned to him, Tucker copying the video file onto his own PDA to ensure nothing was lost first. The bags were returned on board and they said their farewells to the Far Frozen ghosts, Danny thanking Frostbite once again for everything and quietly requesting for a copy of the map they got the last time they left. Frostbite laughed and agreed to make one for the halfa for the next time he visited.

The Speeder smoothly lifted off from the frozen village square, waved off by numerous Far Frozen ghosts. Danny grinned and directed his mother back to the portal without incident. Maddie happily clicked the portal opening device in the Speeder and the octagonal metal door slid open. They drove smoothly into the lab and landed gently. The hatch swung open and everyone bar Ronald and Agent S spilled out grateful to be back in their own world.

Danny, despite being in his ghost form, walked through the lab and led the way up the stairs, through the kitchen and to the front door. Paulina had changed her top during the time they were in the Far Frozen into a pink strapless top which left her flat stomach bare. Rebecca had also changed into another floral dress. However the others hadn't bothered, too exhausted to bother with changing. They all wanted to go home, shower and go to bed. Danny opened the door and gaped at the street. There was a news van directly across from the house with Tiffany Snow sitting with a camera man beside her. There were a few civilians standing and sitting around near the house as well.

"What the?" Danny muttered in confusion.

"They're back!" Kwan shouted excitedly and everyone rushed to the doorstep, Tiffany Snow and her cameraman shoving their way to the front to report.

"After twenty eight and a half hours in the Ghost Zone, Danny Phantom's tour group have returned. Join me, Tiffany Snow, as we get the inside scoop on why the delay," the reporter began, microphone to her mouth and grinning broadly at the camera as she edged closer to Danny.

"Mr Phantom? Can you tell us why?" she requested brightly. Danny blinked in surprise.

"Er, we got lost and um-" Danny stammered completely taken off guard.

"And _I'll_ give my report later today. This is my story Tiffany," Lance hissed protectively at the woman. Lance pushed his way to the front and smoothed his suit down and grabbed the microphone away from Tiffany.

"Lance Thunder here. If our viewers would be kind enough to wait, I'll be giving you the full report of what happened on our tour once we've all had the chance to unwind from the trying journey," Lance interjected quickly. Then the weatherman drew his hand across his neck quickly telling the cameraman to cut the recording.

The cameraman nervously complied and Lance handed the microphone back to Tiffany.

"Lance, this is my story! I'm covering your disappearance," Tiffany growled angrily while Kyle brushed gently past Danny and the news crew to run to his anxiously waiting parents.

"Well, I'm back now. And _I_ cover everything ghost related," Lance argued, ignoring Rebecca as the well-dressed man that dropped her off, took her bag and walked over towards a limo waiting nearby.

"You hate covering those stories! You tell anyone who asks!" Tiffany pointed out sharply as Dash and Paulina ran to their parents and friends. Danny sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"If I might interject, I'd prefer Lance to report on it as he was there. No offence to you Tiffany," Danny commented tiredly. Lance grinned in victory and gave Tiffany a celebratory nod. Tiffany huffed in annoyance but didn't argue with Danny, trudging back to her news van with her cameraman.

"Thanks Danny. A story like this could make my career," Lance informed the teen. Danny nodded.

"No problem. I think you deserve the story after everything we went through. But I do have a request," Danny replied. Lance blinked in surprise.

"Name it," Lance retorted confidently.

"I don't want the story to just be what happened if you catch my meaning. I want people to understand that not all ghosts are madmen hell-bent on destruction," Danny explained. Lance nodded slowly in thought.

"I can do that. Would you mind coming into the studio for a live interview or something?" Lance inquired hopefully. Danny shrugged.

"I don't mind. But er… you know have something ready in case I have to bail last minute," Danny answered with an apologetic smile. Lance shook his head.

"I understand. Thanks Danny. And you know take it easy. I know you say you've recovered, but even still," Lance concluded, running to the news van across the street as the horn blared for Lance to hurry up.

Andrea shuffled past, pausing to thank Danny for the experience and a soft "get well soon" before joining her son and his family. Kyle ran back to Danny, as did Dash, to thank him also for the tour, saying they enjoyed it despite what happened. Paulina returned and attempted to kiss him goodbye while Sam was being fussed over by her parents and grandmother. But Danny was quick to set Paulina straight, assuring her that they could be friends but nothing more as gently as he could. Paulina was upset but muttered a hopeful comment that she could wait. Tucker and his parents were joined by the mayoral security that checked that the mayor was safe. During Tucker's absence, a board of politicians had kept things running. Rebecca thanked Danny before clacking her way to her limo, surprising her driver when she closed the door for herself. It made Danny smirk to see that Rebecca had learnt a little about being more independent and less snobby.

Danny returned to his house to find Ronald and Jack man-handling Agent S into the kitchen where they bound him to a kitchen chair. Jazz was on the phone to the Amity Park police department. Maddie was standing stiffly in a kitchen corner glaring hatefully at Agent S. They'd long ago gagged their prisoner since they were all sick of hearing him curse them and insult Danny's existence at the top of his voice.

It took less than ten minutes for sirens to blare outside Fenton Works and three police officers pushed their way into the house, Jazz getting the door for them. Ronald went with the police to get them up to date while two cops pulled Agent S outside, now hand cuffed and pushed him into a police cruiser.

"Mr Phantom, I'm assuming that you want us to pursue this," the cop remarked as Danny walked them to the door.

"That's right. I do. I'll come in to make a formal statement later if that's alright," Danny confirmed. The cop nodded seriously and got into the police cruiser beside Agent S who glared hatefully at Danny as the car pulled away.

By that evening, Lance had told Amity Park the full story, paying attention first to how amazing the Ghost Zone was and how welcoming a lot of the ghosts were and then reporting on how Samuel White attempted to murder Danny Phantom by poisoning him. To say the town was horrified was an understatement. Over the course of the next few days Danny was questioned extensively, as was everyone else who was on the tour as the news spread out of Danny's hometown. By the end of the week, Danny took pity on the people on the tour and requested that reporters leave them alone and since Danny had such influence, the request was heeded.

At the start of the second week, Sam managed to convince her parents to hire a top ranking lawyer for her boyfriend and a month after the tour, Agent S was tried for attempted murder. The evidence was overwhelming and true to his word, Danny didn't just stop at Agent S, he dragged the entire Guys in White into the investigation and trial. Agent S was sent to prison for a very long time and a number of Guys in White agents soon followed, others were given fines, warnings and life bans from handling anything ghost related, not to mention restraining orders preventing them going anywhere near Danny.

However despite what happened, there were numerous requests for more Ghost Zone tours. Due to demand, Danny was forced to agree but stipulated that they would only run during the summer, everyone must be cleared by the police, agreed to be searched prior to going on the tour and those on the tour must clear a few days in case the tour got lost and their return was delayed.

To celebrate the Guys in White being shut down, Danny took Sam on her own private tour as a date, ensuring to stop at Gavin's restaurant for a couple of drinks. Tucker left politics after a year, burnt out from the stressful role and turned to a career in technology and computing. New laws were passed that protected ghosts and halfas alike making ghost hunting a lot harder to do legally due to the restrictions. All in all, that tour led to many good things despite how reluctantly Danny agreed to it in the first place. Not that he'd ever admit that to Jazz.

 **A bit rushed at the end maybe but I wanted to wrap up the whole Danny taking down the Guys in White.**

 **Anyway, that's the end. Let me know what you thought of the story now that it's over.**

 **I'd also like to thank everyone who took the time to read the entire story and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.**

 **I'd also like to take the time to thank everybody who took the time to leave a review on the story. I will post some of my favourites on my website so check it out. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Keep an eye out for A Dangerous Proposal, the winner of the pol** **l. The first chapter will be posted up shortly.**

 **I think that's everything I have to say so…**

 **Until the next fanfic.**


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